NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Kohl Sparrman (Jr./Apple Valley, Minn./Rosemount) headed home the game winner midway through the overtime period to lift the Carleton College men’s soccer team to a 1-0 victory over cross-town rival St. Olaf College.
In the 95th minute, Kamran Kelly (So./St. Paul, Minn./Central) headed a clearance back into the box, and Sparrman timed his run perfectly to get behind the St. Olaf backline and knock the ball inside the left post for his second goal of the season.
The result allowed the Knights (7-6-0, 2-4--0 MIAC) to climb from 10th to seventh in the conference standings, only one point out of playoff position with four MIAC matches remaining on the schedule.
While Kelly was credited with an assist on Sparrman’s game winner, that goal never would have happened had it not been for the spectacular play of Carleton goalie Brandon Hilliard (Sr./Anoka, Minn./Totino Grace). The senior co-captain registered five saves in the contest, none bigger than his trio of stops in the final portion of regulation.
Hilliard turned aside a point-blank shot off a corner kick in the 80th minute. Five minutes later, Jovan Carter’s 20-yard free kick seemed destined for the upper right corner until Hilliard made a sprawling deflection. On the ensuing corner kick, Hilliard was able to prevent Keith Loukas’ header from crossing the line.
While the Carleton keeper came up big late in the second half, the Carleton offense was knocking on the door of the St. Olaf goal all afternoon, totaling 23 shots to only 13 for the visitors.
Carleton is now 4-0-1 versus the Oles since the 2013 MIAC Playoffs.
The Knights will look to carry momentum from this victory over to their next match at Augsburg University on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 5 p.m.
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