DECORAH, Iowa – The Carleton College men’s soccer team extended its undefeated streak to six games with a 3-2 non-conference victory at Luther College. The match between a pair of regionally-ranked squads featured physical play and a little bit of everything.
The Knights (8-1-3) got on the scoreboard in the 16th minute when Will Corcoran (Sr./Mahtomedi, Minn./Mahtomedi) was fouled from behind in the box. Branden McGarrity (So./Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) took Carleton’s first penalty kick of the season and slotted the shot home inside the left post. It was McGarrity’s team-high sixth goal of the season and his 25th career score, tying him with Yemi Adegunju ’05 for third place on Carleton’s all-time list. McGarrity also leapfrogged Adegunju into a tie with Wes Elfman ’11 for sixth place with 56 career points.
Carleton extended the margin to two goals in the 26th minute when Kurt Heise’s (So./ Deerfield, Mass./Deerfield) free kick was headed backward by a Norse defender and into the net for an own goal.
Luther (9-4-0) made it a one-goal game early in the second half, scoring off a set piece in the 55th minute.
The Knights got that goal back in the 80th minute when Corcoran collected a deflection and blasted a shot between the near post and the Norse goalkeeper. Luther closed to within a goal once again when Brock Arend outran the Knight backline and slipped a shot inside the near post in the 88th minute, but Carleton was able to hold the hosts without a shot down the stretch and claimed the triumph.
Carleton goalkeeper James Neher (Sr./Mahtomedi, Minn./Mahtomedi) registered five saves overall, including an impressive sprawling stop in the 71st minute.
The Knights travel to Augsburg College for a 7 p.m. match on Saturday, Oct. 12.
