BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) kicked off its 2025 Men's Soccer Playoffs with a pair of quarterfinal matchups on Monday.
No. 4 Gustavus topped No. 5 Bethel, 3-0, in the first game of the conference tournament before No. 6 Saint John's stunned No. 3 Augsburg, 2-1, in the second quarterfinal contest.
| 2025 MIAC Men's Soccer Playoffs | Tickets | MIAC Sports Network |
The Gusties and Johnnies will join No. 1 St. Olaf and No. 2 Macalester in the semifinals on Thursday.
NO. 4 GUSTAVUS 3, NO. 5 BETHEL 0 | Box Score |
The Gusties are bound for the semifinals for the fourth consecutive season after tallying a trio of second-half goals to roll past the Royals with a 3-0 home victory to open the MIAC Men's Soccer Playoffs on Monday. Junior forward Joe Flory scored the game-winner on a penalty kick in the 59th minute of play before Kieran Mahan and David Castillon scored back-to-back insurance goals within 65 seconds of each other to close out the game. Flory was credited with the assist on Mahan's 89th-minute score. Sophomore goaltender Jackson Baker earned the win in goal for Gustavus with a seven-save shutout - his third clean sheet of the year. Bethel keeper Griffin Blokker stopped five shots in his 90 minutes between the posts for the Royals.
Gustavus will now match up with No. 2 Macalester in the semifinals on Thursday. The Gusties hold a 2-1 advantage all-time against the Scots in the MIAC Playoffs, though the two squads have not matched up in the postseason since the 2017 conference semifinals, when Macalester advanced to the title game with a 1-0 win. The Scots claimed a 3-0 win at Gustavus in the squads' regular-season matchup on 10/18. Kickoff for the semifinal bout is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Thursday at Macalester Stadium.
NO. 6 SAINT JOHN'S 2, NO. 3 AUGSBURG 1 | Box Score |
In an action-packed conclusion to the quarterfinal round, No. 6 Saint John's scored the go-ahead goal with less than five minutes remaining in regulation to defeat No. 3 Augsburg, 2-1, in Minneapolis on Monday night. Just as a pile-up of penalties in the final 20 minutes of play appeared destined to end the Johnnies' season, Alex Bowman found the back of the net to keep SJU's NCAA Tournament hopes alive. Eli Ryan's goal in the 38th minute of play gave Saint John's a 1-0 lead heading into halftime; however, Augsburg evened the score at 73:12 on a Ceazar Daniell goal - a tally aided by a one-man advantage due to a yellow card accumulation. The Auggies gained an 11-on-9 advantage just over a minute later when a second Johnnie left the game after a second yellow card. The Auggies could not capitalize on the situation, though, as Saint John's buckled down on defense and was able to earn one more goal to advance to the MIAC semifinals for the first time in three seasons. Augsburg first-year goalkeeper Christian Hodges registered seven saves in the game, while the Johnnies' Cole Hanson stopped 12 shots, including one with three seconds to play, to preserve the SJU win.
The Johnnies will head to St. Olaf for a semifinal matchup against the top-seeded Oles on Thursday. St. Olaf maintains the series lead in the postseason, 2-1, over Saint John's, with their last playoff clash coming in the 2021 MIAC semifinals. That contest - a 2-1 Ole victory - also featured St. Olaf as the No. 1 seed and Saint John's as the No. 6. St. Olaf came away with a 1-0 win at Saint John's in the regular-season matchup on 10/4. Kickoff for Thursday's semifinal is set for 2:00 p.m. in Northfield.
SEMIFINAL MATCHUPS SET FOR THURSDAY
The Gusties and Johnnies advanced to Thursday's semifinals, where they will clash with No. 1 St. Olaf and No. 2 Macalester. The Oles will host No. 6 Saint John's at 2:00 p.m., while the Scots will welcome No. 4 Gustavus at 4:30 p.m.
Thursday's two semifinal winners will meet on Saturday, November 8, in the 2025 MIAC Men's Soccer Playoff championship game. The game is tentatively scheduled for 1:00 p.m. The MIAC Playoff champion will receive the postseason championship trophy and the conference's automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
All tickets for the 2025 MIAC Playoffs will be sold and purchased online via HomeTown Ticketing. There will not be cash sales at any venue; however, spectators can purchase tickets using a mobile device, including while at the venue. Tickets are available for purchase immediately. General admission adult tickets are $12 (plus HTT service charge). Student (with ID) tickets are $3 (plus HTT service charge), and children ages five and under are admitted free. As a reminder, artificial noisemakers are not permitted at any MIAC events.
The 2025 MIAC Men's Soccer Playoffs will be streamed live on the MIAC Sports Network in a pay-per-view format. Individual playoff contests will be streamed for $10 each, or $25 for a "championship pass" to stream the entire tournament live. On-demand access to playoff games will be available after the NCAA Tournament concludes.
The MIAC Sports Network Help Page provides guidance and links to help fans navigate the streaming platform. Hudl Customer Support is also available by email or 24/7 chat to assist with any issues.