The Division III conference playoffs are wrapping up this weekend and in the MIAC it all comes down to a Championship Saturday in Northfield. Both St. Olaf and Carleton are hosting finals with both kicking off at the same time on opposite sides of the city. For the Oles they could head into the NCAA Tournament with an unbeaten record, an even better performance than when they won the title in 2023. On the other side of the city the Carleton Knights women are one match away from heading into the NCAA Tournament with a single loss on the campaign.
MIAC Men's Soccer Final
#1 St. Olaf Oles vs #22 Saint John's Johnnies
Two nationally ranked sides will compete for the MIAC Men's Soccer title on Saturday afternoon in Northfield. The nationally #1 ranked Oles are the favourites to defeat the also ranked Johnnies and claim the MIAC crown. For Saint John's this is their second trip to Northfield to meet St. Olaf this season, the last outing saw the Johnnies come with a 3–1 loss on 21 October.
Offensively the Oles are lead by Junior forward Jack Soares with 10 goals this season. Originally from Waxhaw, NC, Soares has led an Oles attack that is averaging nearly 2.5 goals per match. Defensively Junior goalkeeper Beckett Carlson out of Maple Grove has played in all 20 of St. Olaf's matches and allowed just 12 goals in that span. He also earned nine shutouts so far this season and is a huge reason for the success of the Northfield side.
Saint. John's has their own 10 goal scorer in Freshman forward Jacob Oliver, who came to the Johnnies from St. Cloud Cathedral. He is not the only major goal scorer they have as Billy Cornett, Soren Benson, and Grady Monette have all bagged 7 goals for a Johnnies offence that has scored 79 times this season. Defensively the team is nearly as solid as their opposition, allowing only 12 goals this season. That has come thanks to the work and eight clean sheets of Sophomore goalkeeper Alex Keekley from Minnetonka.
Regardless of outcome St. Olaf has certainly punched their ticket to the NCAA Division III tournament. Saint John's on the other hand could be a bubble team should they fail to take down the Oles.
MIAC Women's Soccer Final
#19 Carleton Knights vs St. Kate's Wildcats
On the other side of Northfield, also with a 1pm kickoff is what could be argued as an even more important match. While both teams vying for the MIAC Men's title have a good shot at getting into the NCAA Tournament, the Women's winner could be the league's only representative. While Carleton is a near lock regardless, to stand a chance the three loss Wildcats are well and truly on the bubble.
St. Kate's currently sit at 44th in the NPI rankings, the system used in Divisions II and III to determine NCAA tournament fields past the automatic bids. A big part of that are the three losses, including two to start the season, the Wildcats have. Defensively St. Kate's has been hard to break down, allowing just nine goals against in 19 matches played to this point. Junior goalkeeper Brianna Valdez from Liberyville, IL snatched ten shutouts this season for the Wildcats. Offensively the team doesn't quite have the firepower that Carleton does, but did finish with a respectable 35 goals. Bella Meier who came to the Wildcats out of Hastings, leads the team with 11 goals and is fourth overall in the conference.
Carleton's offence will have their challenges out for them at home on Saturday afternoon. Top scorers Zoe Silver and Hadley Twichell have combined for 14 of the Knights 43 goals during the 2026 season. The distribution of scoring has worked well for the Knights, who have been shut out only twice this season. First in their season opening loss to North Central (IL) and lastly in a nil–nil draw with Saint Benedict. Senior goalkeeper Avery Trapp and the defensive contingent have brought the Knights a total of ten shutouts, with Trapp being credited for eight of those. If Carleton's scoring pair are locked down by a stellar Wildcat defence, it could be a long day for the Knights. But either way it will be fun to watch two defensively solid teams vye for a title.
