Box Score

NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Saint John's soccer earned its second consecutive appearance in the MIAC Playoff Championship game with a 4-1 semifinal win at St. Olaf on Wednesday, Nov. 5, in Northfield.

The Johnnies (13-6, 7-3 MIAC) take their seven-match win streak to Gustavus Adolphus for the MIAC Playoff Championship at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8, in St. Peter. The Gusties (14-4-1, 7-2-1 MIAC) defeated Carleton 1-0 at home in the other MIAC semifinal match on Thursday. 

The MIAC Playoff champion earns the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament, which begins Nov. 13-16. 

The Johnnies scored three goals in the first 20:14 of the match against top-seeded St. Olaf (12-5-2, 7-1-2 MIAC), which won its second MIAC regular-season title in the last four years. SJU upset the regular-season champion and top seed, Gustavus, with a 2-1 victory in last year's MIAC Playoff semifinals nearly a year to the date (Nov. 6, 2013).

The Johnnies defeated the Gusties 1-0 in double overtime on Sept. 27 in St. Peter on junior co-captain Alex Niederloh's (Maple Grove, Minn.) first goal of the season, in the 104th minute. The win snapped the Gusties' 17-match, MIAC regular-season win streak.

Sophomore Rocky Harmon (Hudson, Wis.) continued his scoring spree with the Johnnies' first goal 13:32 into the match Thursday, on a feed from Niederloh. Harmon now has four goals in his last three MIAC Playoff matches going back to last season. He tallied both goals in SJU's quarterfinal win over Macalester Tuesday, Nov. 4.

The one-goal lead became two 35 seconds later on Niederloh's fourth goal of the season, with an assist going to junior Cole Howard (Ridgefield, Wash./Skyview).

Junior Paul Wageman (Roseville, Minn./DeLaSalle) extended the lead to 3-0 with his first collegiate goal in the 21st minute. Senior co-captain Zane Heinselman (River Falls, Wis.) assisted on the scoring play for SJU, which out-shot the Oles 7-1 (5-0 on goal) in the first half.

Heinselman padded the Johnnies' lead with his team-leading sixth goal of the season on a nice feed from sophomore Jake Anderson (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy) in the 63rd minute. Harmon added the second assist.

Jens Undlin broke the shutout with his 15th goal of the season off a save by freshman Treyton Neuharth (Savage, Minn./Prior Lake) on a free kick with 8:56 remaining in the match.

Junior Kevin Lebahn (New Hope, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) started in goal and made one save in 79:51 to improve to 12-6 on the year. He has allowed five goals in his last 11 matches, accumulating 520:29 consecutive scoreless minutes in goal.