Oles Shut Out Titans In NCAA Postseason Opener
St. Olaf College (Minn.) used a pair of first-half goals from Kevin Skrip to defeat UW-Oshkosh, 2-0, in a first-round match of the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship held Friday (Nov. 13) in St. Paul, Minn.
The Oles (14-7-1) advance to play regional host and Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) rival Macalester College in the second round of the 61-team national tournament at 7 p.m. on Saturday (Nov. 14) in St. Paul.
Macalester College (14-1-5), which edged St. Olaf College by a 2-1 score on Oct. 3, kept its season alive with Friday's 1-0 victory over The College of St. Scholastica (Minn.) (18-3-1).
Skrip, the MIAC's leading goal scorer, gave St. Olaf College the early lead over UW-Oshkosh with his 12-yard kick during the 13th minute (12:32) of play. His unassisted match-winning boot followed a dribble of the ball into the right side of the penalty box area.
St. Olaf College held its slim advantage until Skrip scored again in the 32nd minute (31:49) on a 15-yard kick from the right side of the penalty box area that followed a serve from Jens Undlin. The goals in Friday's contest were Skrip's 13th and 14th of the season.
The Oles, who have shut out their last four opponents, tallied advantages of 13-9 in shots and 7-1 in shots on goal. The Titans (11-4-3) led in corner kicks by a 5-3 count.
St. Olaf College goalkeeper Ben Braman had to make just one save to mark his sixth shutout of the season. His lone save came on a shot launched by UW-Oshkosh's Trent Allison during the game's 53rd minute (52:14).
Sam Gabrilska saved five shots while guarding the UW-Oshkosh goal. In addition to his two goals, Skrip also had shots blocked by Gabrilska in the contest's 11th (10:44), 29th (28:01) and 86th (85:02) minute.
Skrip led St. Olaf College with six overall shots. The Oles, who improved to 4-9-1 against UW-Oshkosh, also received three shots from Brenden Johnson.
The Titans were led by four shots from Jonathan Stanley and two from Michael Dugan.
UW-Oshkosh concluded its 32nd season with its 14th appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship. The Titans, who advanced to the semifinal round of the national tournament in 1994, 2000, 2003 and 2010, have an all-time record of 423-122-55.
Photo courtesy of Katie Hanson