ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – With two road games left in the regular season, the College of Saint Benedict soccer team (5-6-4, 2-5-2 MIAC) will look to build on the momentum of a home win last Tuesday as the Bennies travel to St. Olaf College for a 1 p.m., MIAC game on Saturday, Oct. 26.

The Bennies sit 2-5-2 in the MIAC for a ninth-place tie with Macalester in the conference. CSB, which improved to 5-6-4 overall, after scoring a season-high five goals in a 5-2 win over St. Scholastica on Oct. 22, face St. Olaf which is 5-2-2 and fourth in the MIAC. The Oles sit 10-2-3 after a 2-2 draw with Gustavus Adolphus on Oct. 22 on the road. 

In games decided by a goal or less, CSB is 3-4-4 (click here for schedule/results). After the matchup with St. Olaf, the Bennies will travel to face Carleton College at 1 p.m., on Nov. 2.
 
The Bennies started the season strong, winning three of their first five games, four of which were played at home. CSB has recorded ties in four games, including league games with Macalester (0-0) and Hamline (0-0). At home, the Bennies recently defeated Gustavus (1-0) in a close MIAC matchup. On Oct. 16, CSB dropped a close 2-1 decision in MIAC play to Concordia. Alli Voss scored her seventh goal of the season. Then, CSB suffered a closely contested 1-0 loss to Bethel on Senior Day on Oct. 19 at the CSB OAC. On Oct. 22, the Bennies had two goals each from Alli Voss and Summer Seamans and another from Sydney Burns in a 5-2 win, which helped CSB close the home schedule with a 5-4-1 record.

Quick look at St. Olaf
St. Olaf, which is led by first-year head coach Molly Fieldler, is has gone 5-2-2 in league play.  As a team, they averaged 2.27 goals per game while allow 0.73. In terms of shots, they have a 19.3 to 7.6 advantage and have placed 135 of its 290 shots on goal. St. Olaf has an 86-to-37 margin in corner kicks. Leading the offense is Sadie Klassen with 10 goals for 20 total points and both Emily Johnson and Chloe Valleau have registered five goals.
   
Series Notes
This will be the 43rd meeting between the two schools with St. Benedict owning a 24-15-3 overall record. A year ago, at home, the Bennies took a 1-0 decision on Oct. 21, 2023. At home, CSB is 13-11-1 against the Oles and sit 11-4-2 in away games with a 24-13-3 conference mark. In the first meeting on Oct. 24, 1984, St. Olaf took a 5-1 decision. The teams have gone 5-5 over the last 10 matchups.
  
Inside Scoop – St. Benedict
The Bennies are averaging 1.113 goals per game while conceding 1.2 goals per game. CSB ranks sixth in the MIAC with 4.13 corner kicks and third in shots per game at 16.8 while ranking fourth at 8.27 shots on goals per game. The Bennies sit second in saves per game at 6.0 and third in save percentage at .833.

Senior forward Alli Voss leads the team with nine goals and four assists. She has three game-winning goals which places fifth in the MIAC. With those nine goals she is tied for third in the MIAC with 3.67 shots per game ranking fourth. She is fourth in the MIAC with 22 points.
In 70 games, including 64 starts, Voss, who has logged 4,455 minutes, has recorded 29 goals and 12 assists for 70 points. She has 12 game winning goals with 180 shots including 100 on-goal. This year, Voss had her first-ever hat trick with the three goals in a win over Wisconsin-Oshkosh on Sept. 7, 2024. Voss had a career high 12 goals in 2022 when she was named All-MIAC. In that year, she also had her carer high of 27 points and is five away from that mark.

Sophomore Avery Soli has contributed four goals this season and has five in her career.

In goal, senior Annie Waters has a goals-against average of 0.967 with 73 saves in facing 176 shots and a 0.859 save percentage which ranks her third in the MIAC. She has four shutouts this year and 10 in her career. In her career, Waters, who has started 44 games in 60, has allowed 12 goals this year and 36 in her career for a career mark of 0.87 goals allowed average. She has 202 saves in her career for an .848 saves percentage. She has recorded career highs of eight saves against Wisconsin-LaCrosse, 9/1/23; Carleton, 10/28/23; and Gustavus Adolphus, 10/12/24. In her career, Waters has a 22-14-7 overall record.

In her career, senior Olivia Miller has three goals, made 42 shots, including 19 on-goal, and registered a game-winning kick during 64 starts among 68 games played. She has logged 5,063 minutes, including 1,312 this year. She has made 21 shots with nine on-goal in 2024.

Another senior, Sydney Burns has six goals and seven assists in her career.

Historical Performance
CSB has a rich history, recording 27 winning seasons since 1984. Last season, the team finished tied for third in the MIAC with a 6-3-2 conference record and an overall mark of 9-6-3. Consistently competitive, CSB has finished in the MIAC's top four for the past four seasons, including second-place finishes in 2021 and 2022.

Kimble leads CSB
Head coach Steve Kimble, now in his 16th season at CSB, has achieved 10 top-four finishes in the MIAC, with a career record of 154-88-35 at the college and 97-49-16 in conference play. Under his guidance, the team has experienced consistent success, including two MIAC championships and multiple NCAA Tournament appearances.