WINONA, Minn. – On a chilly October evening, the Carleton College men’s soccer team defeated Saint Mary’s University, 4-1. First-year Marco da Cunha (San Francisco, Calif./San Francisco University) led the way offensively in scoring two goals, and Brennan Johnson (So./Portland, Ore./Grant) added a third. Some playful Halloween spirits seemed to account for the other two goals, as each squad had one own goal during the game.
For the Knights (13-1-2, 6-1-2 MIAC), outside of the unlucky bounce they put together another impressive demonstration of how their speed, ball control, and strong defending leads to dominating performances, as evidenced by the final shot totals, which were 17-5 in Carleton’s favor as well as a 12-3 edge in shots on goal.
Throughout the first half, the Knights played aggressively and dominated possession for long spells of time on Saint Mary’s (5-11-1, 2-7-0 MIAC) end of the pitch. In the 21st minute da Cunha was unlucky when his shot ricocheted off the left post. Carleton’s intense pressure eventually did payoff in the 36th minute when a Cardinal player ended up putting the ball into his own net as a direct result from some suffocating pressure from Johnson. The own goal proved to be the only tally of the first half, with a scoring explosion primed to occur after the intermission.
The Knights added their second goal of the evening in the 55th minute when David Rubin (So./Ann Arbor, Mich./Greenhills) looped in a cross from the left wing, and da Cunha volleyed it home over the goalie. A mere minute later though Carleton gave it back when they had a rare defensive lapse resulting in a back pass that ended up in accounting for Saint Mary’s lone goal. Reenergized by the gift, the Cardinals slowly began to gain more possession, but the Knights used some clinical set-pieces to put the game away.
In the 76th minute, Mark Roth (Sr./Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township), fresh off winning MIAC player-of-the-week honors, continued his free kick dominance, sending beautiful ball in from the right wing which Johnson headed home past the goalie for his first career goal. For the fourth and final goal of the game, Roth sent another freekick into the penalty area that just made it past a crowd of bodies and onto da Cunha’s foot, resulting in a simple tap in to the lower left side to finalize da Cunha’s brace.
With the victory the Knights pushed their unbeaten streak to a whopping 12 matches and accomplished many other impressive personal feats. Thanks to his two goals, de Cunha broke a three-way tie for the MIAC lead and now sits in first-place with 10 goals as well as a tie for first in total points with 21. He also has moved into a tie for the eight-most goals in single season for a Carleton player, and the most since Branden McGarrity’s 11 in 2013. (SEE CHART AT BOTTOM OF RELEASE)
As for Roth, in addition to scoring a goal or making an assist for the third consecutive match, his two-assist performance pushed his season total to eight, the most in the MIAC. It’s also the sixth-highest single-season mark in recorded team history and most since Simon Ginet’s 10 assists in 2012. (SEE CHART AT BOTTOM OF RELEASE)
Additionally, the three points earned with the victory pay huge dividends in terms of seeding for the MIAC playoffs. Carleton currently sits in third place with 20 points, two behind Gustavus and Macalester at the top of the table, and one above St. Thomas. With a win in their final regular-season contest, the Knights will guarantee themselves a home-playoff game, as well as give Carleton an opportunity to earn a first-round bye. This possibility is very plausible, as the Gusties and the Scots still have to face each other.
The Knights wrap up their regular season this Saturday, Oct. 27 when they welcome Saint John’s University to Bell Field. Kickoff will be at approximately 3:30pm and will follow the women’s match versus the College of Saint Benedict, which begins at 1:00pm. Knights Online will once again have live video and stats for this contest.
MOST GOALS – SINGLE SEASON
1. 19 – Branden McGarrity – 2012
2. 15 – Ron Sanders – 1963
3. 13 – Mario Small – 1967
3. 13 – George Monyemangene – 1987
5. 12 – Simon Ginet – 2012
6. 11 – Ken Tape – 1998
6. 11 – Branden McGarrity – 2013
8. 10 – Are Aristides – 1981
8. 10 – Bobby Phillips – 2006
8. 10 – Tim Wills – 2010
8. 10 – Tim Wills – 2011
8. 10 – Marco da Cunha – 2018
MOST ASSISTS – SINGLE SEASON
1. 14 – Tim Wills – 2009
2. 11 – Jon Hyde – 1987
3. 10 – David Watson – 2003
3. 10 – Simon Ginet – 2012
5. 9 – Dave Lewis – 1987
6. 8 – Jon Hyde – 1986
6. 8 – George Monyemangene – 1986
6. 8 – Matt Hunt – 1988
6. 8 – Tim Wills – 2010
6. 8 – Ryan Cammarota – 2011
6. 8 – Mark Roth – 2018
MOST WINS – SINGLE SEASON
1. 17 – 2008
1. 17 – 2012
3. 15 – 2009
3. 15 – 2013
5. 14 – 2007
6. 13 – 2018
