FARMINGTON, Minn. – The 2026 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Men's Soccer Playoffs continued on Thursday with a pair of semifinal matchups.
No. 1 St. Olaf defeated No. 4 Carleton, 2-1, in regulation, while No. 3 Saint John's defeated No. 2 Gustavus, 2-1, in overtime. The Oles and Johnnies will now meet in the MIAC Men's Soccer Playoff Championship. St. Olaf will host at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday in Northfield.
SEMIFINAL RESULTS
FINAL | SEMIFINAL
No. 4 Carleton 1
No. 1 St. Olaf 2
RECAP
- The game was scoreless at halftime before Carleton's Matthew Deffo found the back of the net at 54:35 to give the Knights a 1-0 lead.
- The Oles' Mateo Ormaza tied the game at 65:20, and Charlie Piller scored the game-winner 1:36 later, at 66:56.
- Adam Ouachani made three saves for Carleton, and St. Olaf's Beckett Carlson made one stop.
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME HISTORY
- The Oles have won five MIAC playoff championships (2011, 2015, 2022, 2023, 2024), most recently in 2024.
- St. Olaf has been to six consecutive playoff title games and hosted four of them.
FINAL (OT) | SEMIFINAL
No. 3 Saint John's 2
No. 2 Gustavus 1
RECAP
- Soren Benson scored at 39:19 to give Saint John's a 1-0 lead at the half.
- Gustavus tied the game at 89:30 on a goal from Jack Isroff.
- The Johnnies' Taylor Petrich tallied the game-winner in overtime at 93:07.
- Austin Ertel made eight saves for the Johnnies, and Gustavus' Jackson Baker made five.
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME HISTORY
- The Johnnies will play in the playoff championship game for the first time since 2014.
- Saint John's won its lone MIAC playoff title in 2005.
CHAMPIONSHIP SET FOR SATURDAY
St. Olaf and Saint John's will meet on Saturday, November 7, in the 2026 MIAC Men's Soccer Playoff championship game.
No. 3 Saint John's at No. 1 St. Olaf
Saturday, Nov. 7 | 1:00 PM | Rolf Mellby Field, Northfield
- St. Olaf leads the all-time playoff series with Saint John's, 3-1.
- The teams last met in the 2025 semifinals, a 3-1 St. Olaf win.
- St. Olaf won the 2026 regular season matchup, 3-1, in Northfield on 10/21.
The 2026 championship game is tentatively scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on the Oles' home turf in Northfield. The MIAC Playoff champion will receive the postseason championship trophy and the conference's automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament.
NPI OUTLOOK
The NCAA Power Index (NPI) is used to select the 22 at-large bids to the NCAA Division III Tournament after the 42 automatic qualifiers have been determined on November 8.
The most recent NPI rankings on November 4 list three MIAC men's soccer teams among the top 40 in NCAA Division III:
The NPI cut line in 2025 was No. 31.
PLAYOFF APPAREL
Official playoff apparel is available for online purchase via the MIAC Shop powered by UNRestricted MKTG. The online MIAC Shop features officially licensed short-sleeve t-shirts, long-sleeve t-shirts, and hooded sweatshirts to commemorate the 2026 conference tournament. The items available in this store are custom-decorated. Please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery. All apparel items are online-only, custom-made, and all sales are final.
Regular season team champion apparel is available for online purchase now, with playoff team champion apparel set to be released after the conference tournament concludes.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
All tickets for the 2026 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.
The 2026 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.
2026 MIAC MEN'S SOCCER PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
| Quarterfinals | Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026 | 2:00 PM |
| No. 3 Saint John's 3, No. 6 Augsburg 2 |
Box Score |
| No. 4 Carleton 4, No. 5 Macalester 2 |
Box Score |
| Semifinals | Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026 | 2:00 PM |
| No. 1 St. Olaf 2, No. 4 Carleton 1 |
Box Score |
| No. 3 Saint John's 2, No. 2 Gustavus 1 (OT) |
Box Score |
| Championship | Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026 | 1:00 PM |
| No. 3 Saint John's at No. 1 St. Olaf |
Pay-Per-View | Stats | Tickets |
GAME TIMES ARE TENTATIVE