ST. JOSEPH, Minn. -- The fourth-seeded College of Saint Benedict soccer team (9-5-3), which is unbeaten in the past six games, will host fifth-seeded Concordia (7-5-4) as the MIAC Soccer Playoffs begin on Monday, Oct. 30 at 2 p.m., at the CSB Stadium Turf Field.
 
The Bennies finished in a tie with Macalester for third place (6-3-2 records, 20 points) in the MIAC. However, CSB had a regular season loss to the Scots, and, therefore, will be the fourth seed. The Bennies are 13-time playoff participants and in the postseason for the sixth straight season, while the Cobbers have made 14 playoff tournaments all-time but will be headed to the postseason for the first time since 2015.  The Bennies and Cobbers will play one of two first round playoff games with Macalester hosting Augsburg at 4:30 p.m., on Monday.
 
The two quarterfinal winners will advance to Thursday semifinals, where No. 1 Carleton and No. 2 St. Catherine will be waiting. The bracket will re-seed following the first round, matching up the lowest remaining seed against the top-seeded Knights, while the Wildcats will welcome the higher seed. Both game times are tentatively set for 2:00 p.m.
 
The two semifinal winners on Thursday will meet on Saturday, November 4, in the 2023 MIAC Women's Soccer Playoff championship game. The game is tentatively scheduled for 1:00 p.m. The MIAC Playoff champion will receive the playoff championship plaque and the Conference's automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament.
 
CSB has gone 5-0-1 over past six games 
In a six-game unbeaten streak (five wins), CSB has victories over Concordia College (2-0), Bethel (3-1), UW-Stout (2-1), St. Scholastica (4-1), St. Olaf (1-0) and a tie with Carleton (0-0).  
 
With the tie with Carleton, the Bennies remain unbeaten at home over the past two years. In 2023, the Bennies sit 5-0-3 and finished 7-0-1 in 2022 for an overall 12-0-4 record in those 16 home contests.
   
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 played Carleton College (No. 3 in region) to a 0-0 tie in the regular season finale.   
 
CSB leads all-time series with the Cobbers
In an earlier game on Oct. 11, the Bennies scored a pair of second half goals to record a 2-0 win over Concordia in St. Joseph. In series history, the Bennies now own a 32-14 record against the Cobbers, including a current seven-game winning streak. CSB is 20-8 at home against Concordia. The last win by the Cobbers was a 2-0 win on Oct. 17, 2015, in Moorhead. Concordia's last win in St. Joseph was a 2-1 two overtime verdict on Oct. 27, 2012.
 
Concordia Notes
Directed by sixth-year head coach Rebecca Quimby, Concordia has a 7-5-2 record in 2023. The Cobbers finished 5-3-3 in MIAC play. In the past six games, Concordia is 2-1-3.  In 2023, the Cobbers averaged 1.0 goals per game while permitting 0.75. They have made 198 shots to 179 for opponents and totaled 16 goals while allowing 12. Emma Sheflo leads the team with five goals and 12 total points while Sophia Robinson has four goals and nine shots.
 
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 and both have two assists. Willenbring, who has three game-winning shots this year, has scored goals in five of the past six games with all six of her goals over the past six games contributing to wins by CSB.   
 
Junior Annie Waters has six shutouts and an 8-3-2 record with 46 saves in 13 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 13 games) with a .782 mark. With shutouts over Saint Olaf and Carleton, she now has six shutouts, a total that ranks fifth in the MIAC. She also has a .820 save percentage with 46 saves in 13 games. Waters owns an 19-7-4 career win-loss mark. In her career, Waters  has allowed just 22 goals (0.81 goals against average) with 124 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 1.41-to-0.82 per game. CSB has a commanding 280-173 (16.5-to-10.2) shots edge. In shots on goals, CSB has a 146-to-81 margin. In addition, the Bennies have an advantage of 76-to-48 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 149-81-30 record at Saint Benedict with a 95-45-15 mark in conference play. CSB has recorded winning seasons in 13 of his 15 years with the program and has finished the year with a winning record 33 of the past 35 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.