ST. JOSEPH, Minn. --
With playoff positioning at stake, the College of Saint Benedict soccer team (9-5-2, 6-3-1 MIAC), which has recorded five straight wins, will host MIAC leader Carleton (15-1-1, 9-0-1 MIAC) in the regular season finale at 1 p.m., on Saturday, Oct. 28.
In the five-game win streak, CSB has victories over Concordia College (2-0), Bethel (3-1), UW-Stout (2-1), St. Scholastica (4-1), and St. Olaf (1-0). In the MIAC standings, Saint Benedict is tied for third at 6-3-1 and 19 points with Macalester (9-6-1, 6-3-1 MIAC). Both Carleton and CSB have already clinched berths in the MIAC playoffs.
MIAC Playoff Notes
After the regular season concludes today, the six teams with the highest conference point totals advance to the MIAC Playoffs, which will begin on Oct. 30 and run through Nov. 4. The top two seeds, Carleton and St. Catherine have clinched those spots and first-round byes. The No. 3 and No. 4 seeded teams (now St. Benedict and Macalester) will host the No. 5 and No. 6 teams on Oct. 30.
Bennies beat St. Olaf for fifth straight win
In a 1-0 win over St. Olaf, the Bennies scored a goal in the opening five minutes and finished with a 1-0 MIAC win. Over the last five games, CSB has a 12-to-3 goals edge and a 109-to-53 shots advantage. During that same time span, Willenbring has six goals this season, scoring the only goal of the game in a win over St. Olaf. Willenbring now has 14 points and Voss has 12 to lead CSB this year.
Facing Region IX
The College of Saint Benedict has played four teams ranked in region IX by the United Soccer Coaches. The Bennies fell to UW- Eau Claire (7th in region), 3-2, and No. 9 UW-Lacrosse (1st in the region), 1-0. CSB lost to St. Catherine's (5th in region), 2-0, while also playing to a 0-0 draw against Simpson (No. 4). The Bennies now play Carleton College (No. 3 in region) to finish the regular season on October 28 at the CSB Turf Athletics Field.
About Carleton
Carleton is directed by head coach, Jessica Mueller, and assisted by Sebastian Burset, Cristian Fuentes, Isaac Wong, and John Yeboah. The Knights are first in the MIAC with a 15-1-1 overall record and 9-0-1 conference record. The Knights are led by sophomore Kathryn Kresse with eight goals and 17 points, which ranks fifth in the MIAC. Also for Carleton, Casey MacVeagh has six assists, five goals, and 16 points.
Series Notes - CSB leads all-time
On October 29, 2022, St. Benedict and Carleton tied, 2-2. In the series overall, the Bennies own a 23-18-1 record with a 17-9-0 home record against the Knights. In conference play, CSB has a 22-17-1 margin. In their first matchup on Oct. 1, 1985, the Knights took a 5-0 decision. Saint Benedict's last win was 1-0 on Oct. 30, 2021.
Look inside at Bennies
Junior forward Alli Voss and senior forward/defender Abby Willenbring, who were both All-MIAC and All-Region last year, lead CSB in scoring. Willenbring has six goals, and Voss has five (#8 and #13 in the MIAC, respectively) and both have two assists. Willenbring, who has three game-winning shots this year, has scored goals in five straight games with all six of her goals over the past five games contributing to wins by CSB.
She has scored all six of her goals over the past five games, all wins by CSB. She has 10 career-goals.
Junior Annie Waters has five shutouts and a 8-3-1 record with 38 saves in 12 games. On Oct. 16, Waters earned her first
MIAC Defensive Player of the Week honor after allowing just one goal in two
MIAC wins. Waters, who was the first
MIAC Athlete of the Week honoree for CSB since
Paige Kahlmeyer on Sept. 12, 2022, ranks fifth in in the MIAC in goals against average (9 goals in 12 games) with a .783 mark. With a shutout over Saint Olaf, she registered her fifth shutout, a total that ranks fifth in the
MIAC. She also has a .809 save percentage with 38 saves in 12 games. Waters owns an 19-7-3 career win-loss mark. In her career, Waters has allowed just 22 goals (0.82 goals against average) with 116 career saves.
Sophomore goalkeeper Madisen Carter has one shutout and 14 saves in five games played this season. Carter has a 0.778 save percentage and 1.02 goals against average.
In a look at the team numbers, CSB has a 24-to-14 goals advantage which breaks down to 1.50-to-0.88 per game. CSB has a commanding 265-155 (16.6-to-9.7) shots edge. In shots on goals, CSB has a 142-to-73 margin. In addition, the Bennies have an advantage of 72-to-45 in corner kicks and CSB has converted both of its penalty kicks this year (
Caralyn Conners, Regan
Melz).
Kimble directs CSB Soccer
Head Soccer Coach Steve Kimble, who is in his 15th season, has directed his teams to the top four in the MIAC five times, including a second place finish in 2022 when CSB was 12-5-2 with an 8-2-1 record in league play. Overall,
Kimble has a 149-81-29 record at Saint Benedict with a 95-45-14 mark in conference play. CSB has recorded winning seasons in 12 of his 14 years with the program and has finished the year with a winning record 32 of the past 34 years.
Kimble has coached three All-Americans, two
MIAC Players of the Year, one
MIAC Rookie of the Year, 20 All-Region athletes, 34
All-MIAC athletes and 19
All-MIAC Honorable Mention selections.
