MIAC MEN'S SOCCER PLAYOFF PAGE

AUGSBURG GAMECENTRAL PORTAL
(LIVE VIDEO WEBCAST/LIVE STATISTICS)

MINNEAPOLIS -- Augsburg College will host Carleton College in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's soccer playoff semifinal contest on Tuesday (11/2) at 7:30 p.m. at Edor Nelson Field.

Augsburg (13-4-1 overall, 7-2-1 MIAC), the No. 2 seed in the four-team field, will host No. 3-seed Carleton (11-6-1 overall, 7-2-1 MIAC). The Auggies gained the No. 2 seed based on a head-to-head tiebreaker, after the Auggies topped Carleton 2-1 on Oct. 16 in Northfield, Minn.

Since the game is an MIAC playoff contest, ALL patrons, including Augsburg students, faculty and staff, will have to pay admission -- $7 for adults, $3 for students. No Augsburg passes will be accepted (the only passes accepted are MIAC-issued passes).

The other semifinal on Tuesday will feature top-seed Macalester (14-3-1 overall, 8-2-0 MIAC) hosting No. 4-seed Concordia-Moorhead (12-5-1 overall, 6-3-1 MIAC) at 6 p.m. in St. Paul, Minn. The winner of Tuesday's semifinal games will meet in the final on Saturday (11/6) at the site of the highest seed, with the winner earning an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III national tournament.

The Augsburg-Carleton game on Tuesday will feature a live video webcast with live statistics on Augsburg's GameCentral portal.

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GAME NOTES

THE GAME -- Augsburg is hosting its first MIAC playoff game since the conference resumed its four-team postseason playoffs in 2003. Augsburg is the No. 2 seed in this season's playoffs while Carleton is the No. 3 seed. The winner of Tuesday's semifinal will play in the conference championship game, slated for Saturday, against the winner of Tuesday's Concordia-Moorhead-at-Macalester semifinal. The conference playoff champion receives the automatic bid to the 60-team NCAA Division III national tournament.

MIAC PLAYOFFS -- Augsburg is making its third appearance in the MIAC playoffs. In its previous MIAC playoff appearances, Augsburg is 1-1-1:
2006 -- Gustavus 1, Augsburg 0
2008 -- Augsburg 3, Gustavus 0; Augsburg 0, Carleton 0 (2OT, Carleton 5-3 on PKs)

Carleton is making its fourth appearance in a row in the MIAC postseason playoffs. Carleton was the No. 1 seed in each of its previous three appearances, and is 2-2-1 in its MIAC playoff history, including the MIAC playoff title in 2008:
2007 -- St. Olaf 1, Carleton 0
2008 -- Carleton 2, St. Thomas 0; Carleton 0, Augsburg 0 (2OT, Carleton 5-3 on PKs)
2009 -- Carleton 3, St. Thomas 0; Macalester 1, Carleton 0.

LAST MEETING -- On Oct. 16, Benjamin Wexler (SR, Minnetonka, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret HS) scored the game-winning goal on a shot in the 83rd minute, giving Augsburg a 2-1 win over Carleton in Northfield. Chad Gilmer (SO, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS) put the Auggies on the scoreboard in the 33rd minute, scoring his sixth goal of the season on a free kick. Carleton had tied the game in the 79th minute, as Will Corcoran scored from Ryan Cammarota. Carleton had six shots to Augsburg's four in the game, and three corner kicks to Augsburg's two.

LAST PLAYOFF MEETING -- This is the second time that Augsburg and Carleton have met in the MIAC men's soccer playoffs. The first time was a classic contest in the 2008 playoff championship game in Northfield, which ended in a 0-0, two-overtime draw. In the penalty kick shootout, Carleton connected on all five shots, while Augsburg had its first attempt hit the crossbar. The Auggies connected on their next three shots, but Carleton's fifth goal clinched the playoff championship for the Knights. Carleton received the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs, but Augsburg also received an at-large bid, and both teams ended up reaching the “Sweet Sixteen” round of the national tournament.

FOURTH DOUBLE-DIGIT WIN SEASON IN FIVE YEARS -- Under head coach Greg Holker, Augsburg has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the MIAC. At 13-4-1, it is the fourth time in the last five seasons that Augsburg has had a double-digit win campaign -- the best run of success since a stretch of eight straight double-digit-win seasons from 1973 to 1980, which included MIAC titles in 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1980. Augsburg's 7-2-1 MIAC record is its best since the team's NCAA playoff season of 2008, and Augsburg's second-place MIAC finish is its best since the conference title season of 1980.

HOME COOKING IN 'THE CAGE' -- Augsburg enters tonight's game with a 7-0-1 record in “The Cage,” the friendly moniker for Edor Nelson Field -- the third unbeaten home record in school history. Augsburg went 7-0-1 at home in 1978 and 3-0-2 in 1972. It's the third time in the last five years that Augsburg has had at least seven home wins -- Augsburg went 7-3-0 at home in 2007 and had a school-record eight home wins (8-2-0) in 2006. In head coach Greg Holker's seven seasons, Augsburg is 40-16-5 (.697) at home.

GILMER HAVING A SOLID SEASON -- Sophomore Chad Gilmer (SO, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS), one of the most versatile players in the MIAC, is building a resume that could see him become the third Augsburg player to earn All-American honors since 2006. Listed as a forward, Gilmer has also seen time in both defensive and midfield positions, and he leads the team with seven goals and three assists for 17 points, including three game-winning goals. Gilmer has seen action in 1,319 minutes this season -- 79.8 percent of the team's 1,652 minutes this year -- which ranks him second on the team in minutes played. This season, Augsburg is 7-1-1 in games in which he has either a goal or assist.

TRANSFERS PAYING BIG DIVIDENDS -- Forward Benjamin Wexler (SR, Minnetonka, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret HS) joined the Auggies this season after playing his first three years at Division I Providence (R.I.). So far, the transfer has paid big dividends for the Auggies. In 17 games, Wexler stands second on the team in scoring with six goals and one assist for 13 points, including a team-best four game-winning goals. Wexler is one of three transfers on the Auggie roster, joining defender Tyler Heaps (SO, St. Paul, Minn./DeLaSalle HS), who transferred from North Park (Ill.), and midfielder Josh Sweeney (SO, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS), who transferred from Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Sweeney has scored four goals with two assist for 10 points in 17 games, while Heaps has two assists in 17 games.

LOYD GEARING UP FOR ANOTHER ALL-MIAC SEASON -- Peter Loyd (JR, Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) has been one of the reliable anchors of Augsburg's defense, which has allowed just 13 goals (0.71 team goals-against-average) all season. Loyd earned All-MIAC first-team honors last year, after earning All-MIAC honorable-mention honors his first year, and he is in line to repeat his all-conference honor this season. Playing in a team-high 1,474 minutes (89.2 percent of Augsburg's 1,652 team minutes), Loyd has two goals this season. In his career, Loyd has started 57 of his 58 games, with five goals and an assist.

NEW GOALKEEPERS IMPRESSIVE -- The biggest question mark entering this season was in the goalkeeping department, where head coach Greg Holker forecasted that two first-year players would see the bulk of playing time. So far, those two first-year players -- Clayton Lynch (FY, Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier HS) and Will Morlock (FY, Grand Haven, Mich.) -- have played up to their expectations. Morlock has seen action in 10 games with 22 saves, a 0.87 goals-against-average, a 6-3-1 record and six shutouts, while Lynch has seen action in eight games with 18 saves, a 0.50 GAA, a 7-1-0 record and five shutouts. Both have been tested in big games recently, as Lynch was in goal for the Auggies' 2-1 win at Carleton on Oct. 16, and Morlock was in goal for the last two wins of the regular season, including the 1-0 win over Gustavus last Friday.