ARDEN HILLS, Minn. -- Layne Teska (Jr./Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) set up Ellie Wilson (So./Roseville, Minn./Roseville) for a pair of goals—one early and one late—but the Carleton College women’s soccer team was unable to overcome a three-goal outburst from Bethel in the first half, eventually dropping a 3-2 decision. The setback dealt a severe blow to the Knights' playoff chances.
After Bethel tallied the game’s first goal in the 18th minute, Carleton (7-5-3, 3-4-2 MIAC) knotted things up a minute later. Wilson headed home the equalizer off a feed from Teska.
Before intermission, Bethel senior Kelsey Flaherty connected on a pair of headers off free kicks. The first came in the 22nd minute, the other in the 38th.
Carleton found itself in unfamiliar territory, down 3-1 at the break. The Knight defense had been so strong all season, allowing only 12 goals on the year, tops in the MIAC. This was only the second time since the start of the 2009 season that a Carleton squad gave up three goals in a regular-season match.
The Knights kept pressure on the Royals throughout the second half and looked to close the gap as they possessed a 10-4 edge in shots. Carleton edged closer when Wilson headed home another delivery from Teska with less than nine minutes remaining in regulation. Karlie Haug (Sr./Rapid City, S.D./Stevens) and Madelaine Horn (Fy./Hamilton, Ont./Westdale Secondary) got shots off down the stretch but were unable to tally the equalizer.
"It was a great effort out of the back from Layne Teska two times to Ellie Wilson and proof once again that we can be a threat on the attack,” said Carleton head coach Jocelyn Keller. “Unfortunately, it was not enough, and Bethel was able to capitalize on their set pieces. We will work hard this upcoming week to finish as strong as possible."
The loss drops the Knights to ninth in the standings and means Carleton need to notch victories in both of its remaining games—at St. Thomas on Wednesday, Oct. 24 and at St. Olaf on Saturday, Oct. 27—plus get some help to secure a spot in the MIAC’s four-team playoffs.
| MIAC Record |
MIAC Standings Points |
Remaining MIAC Games |
Game 1 |
Game 2 |
|
| Concordia | 8-1 | 24 | 2 | vs AUG | at CSB |
| Augsburg | 5-2-2 | 17 | 2 | at CON | vs SMU |
| Bethel | 5-2-2 | 17 | 2 | at STO | at UST |
| Saint Benedict | 5-3-1 | 16 | 2 | at HAM | vs CON |
| St. Olaf | 4-3-2 | 14 | 2 | vs BU | vs CAR |
| Hamline | 4-4-1 | 13 | 2 | vs CSB | at SCU |
| Macalester | 4-4-1 | 13 | 2 | at SMU | at GAC |
| St. Thomas | 4-4-1 | 13 | 2 | vs CAR | vs BU |
| Carleton | 3-4-2 | 11 | 2 | at UST | at STO |
| *Gustavus | 3-6 | 9 | 2 | vs SCU | vs MAC |
| *St. Catherine | 3-6 | 9 | 2 | at GAC | vs HAM |
| *Saint Mary's | 0-9 | 0 | 2 | vs MAC | at AUG |
*eliminated from playoff contention
Teams get 3 standings points for a win, 1 point for a tie
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