Photo gallery by Russ Aguilar ‘13
NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Hard work at both ends of the field paid off as the Carleton College men’s soccer team posted a 2-0 victory over the College of St. Scholastica, the nation’s top-scoring squad. Defender Neil Bartholomay’s (Jr./St. Paul, Minn./Cretin Derham Hall) early header goal was the game-winner and he helped anchor the Knights defense that limited the Saints to only five shots on the day.
Carleton (10-1-1) is the No. 16 team in the latest NSCAA national poll and played like it as the Knights extended their unbeaten streak to seven matches and picked up a big in-region victory that could impact a potential at-large bid should the Knights continue to play at high level.
“This win gives us a lot of momentum,” said Carleton head coach Bob Carlson. “Things are going to get busy academically and in soccer.”
After a St. Scholastica foul in the seventh minute, Alex Voorhees (Sr./Winnetka, Ill./New Trier) perfectly delivered a free kick to the right side of the six-yard box, where Bartholomay’s light touch re-directed the ball home for his third goal of the season and second in as many games.
The Knights added another score in the 21st minute. Following a corner kick, Voorhees sent a low, paced shot into the box. Branden McGarrity (Fy./Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) pulled it down, turned and finished into the left side for his 14th goal of the year. That score broke his tie with Mario Small (1967) and George Monyemangene (1987) and moved McGarrity into sole possession of second place on the Knights’ single-season scoring list. Ron Sanders holds the mark with 15 goals in the 1963 season, the first year of varsity soccer at Carleton.
St. Scholastica (10-3-0)—which entered play with a mind-boggling 61 goals on the season, best among all NCAA Division I, II and III squads—absorbed its first loss in nearly a month as the Saints saw their 8-match win streak come to an end. The visitors best chance to get on the scoreboard came in the 28th when Erik Trochimchuk’s low free kick from just outside the box, sliced through the Carleton defense and struck the left post then bounced across the goal’s mouth before rolling harmlessly out the end line.
The Knights limited St. Scholastica to only one more shot on goal over the remainder of the contest and snapped a two-game slide versus the Saints.
Saints' goalkeeper Adam Hewitt kept his team in the running with a pair of spectacular sprawling saves as he managed to knock down shots by Will Schifeling (So./Eau Claire, Wis./Regis) and McGarrity over an exciting three-minute stretch in the middle of the second half.
“This win gives us a lot of momentum,” said Carleton head coach Bob Carlson. “Over this next stretch things are going to get very busy academically and on the soccer field. This team is great with its heart and its fight. We know each game is vital and we’ll have to play hard on Wednesday.”
The Knights return to conference play on Oct. 10 as they travel to Saint Mary's University for a 7 p.m. match in Winona, Minn.
