NORTON, Mass. — The No. 8 Wheaton College (Mass.) men's soccer team will travel to Northfield, Minn. to take on Macalester College in the NCAA Championship Tournament Sectional Round hosted by Saint Olaf College at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
The Lyons hosted the First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Tournament on Keefe Field on the Wheaton campus. Wheaton defeated Neumann University, 3-0, in the NCAA Tournament First Round on November 15 and nipped No. 14 Middlebury College, 1-0, on November 16.
Macalester also hosted the NCAA Tournament preliminary rounds last weekend and defeated Illinois Wesleyan University, 2-1, on November 15 and No. 21 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 2-1, the following day in St. Paul, Minn.
Wheaton, which is ranked in the most recent United Soccer Coaches Poll, is currently 16-1-4 on the season, while the Scots are 17-4. The Lyons are in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014 and it's Wheaton's first time in the round of 16 since 2004. It's been more than a decade as well since Macalester earned an NCAA Tournament berth, going back to 2015 and its first appearance in the Sweet Sixteen since 2002.
The Lyons' only loss of the season came in the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference Championship Tournament Semifinals to fifth-seeded Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 1-0, on November 6. The loss marked the first time all season that Wheaton had been shut out and snapped a 21-game unbeaten streak dating back to October 26, 2024. The Lyons finished the regular season unbeaten for the first time in program history and won the NEWMAC Regular Season Crown. Wheaton finished the conference slate as the NEWMAC's top team for the first time since 2014 and captured the regular season title for the ninth time in school history.
Macalester has won 10 straight matches, including wins over Gustavus Adolphus College (2-1) on November 6 and a 4-1 upset victory over St. Olaf on November 8 to earn its 13th Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season or tournament championship in program annals. The Scots' four losses all came prior to October 11 to No. 3 Augsburg University (3-1/Oct. 4), Wisconsin-Eau Claire (1-0/Sep. 24), St. Olaf (1-0/Sep. 20) and to Luther College (1-0/Sep. 7).
The Lyons have been ranked in the United Soccer Coaches national poll since the second week of the season when they entered the survey at No. 13. Wheaton ascended to number four in the nation on October 7 for their highest national ranking since November 26, 2004 when they were also rated fourth in Division III. The Lyons have been one of the best offensive and defensive teams in the nation all season. Wheaton currently ranks 12th in the nation in scoring offense with 2.90 goals per game, while standing 10th with a 0.524 goals against average. The Lyons were one of seven teams to post shutouts in both of their NCAA preliminary round matches last weekend and have recorded 12 blank sheets to rank 13th in the nation in shutout percentage with a 0.571 mark. Wheaton's defense has been stellar, but its goalkeeping has been exceptional, boasting a 0.855 percentage to place sixth among the nation's leaders. The Lyons' goal differential of plus-50 is the fourth-highest tally in NCAA Division III.
Wheaton's offense has been led by the trio of senior midfielder Aidan Doyle (Kingston, Mass.), junior forward Declan Rhatigan (Holderness, N.H.) and sophomore forward Gael Vera (Westminster, Mass.). Doyle essentially captured the triple crown of offensive stats in the NEWMAC as the league's leader in goals (11), assists (10) and points (32) and ranks 16th in the nation in total assists and 41st in points. He also netted one goal in each of the Lyons' NCAA Tournament games. Vera was named the NEWMAC Athlete of the Year after netting nine goals, including six in conference play. Rhatigan tallied his 10th goal of the year against Neumann last weekend and ranks second on the team with 26 points and six assists. Senior First Team midfielder Joey Everett (Danbury, Conn.) has helped to facilitate Wheaton's scoring with four assists, while netting three goals. Junior Second Team All-Conference selection Ben Kane (Pembroke, Mass.) has provided the calming influence in the midfield for the Lyons, while senior midfielder Baden McLaughlin (Yarmouth, Maine) has provided some punch off the bench with five goals and two assists. Junior midfielder Camaje Easton-Smith (Hamilton, Bermuda) was sidelined with an injury for nine games, but his first collegiate goal was one of the biggest of the season, giving Wheaton a 1-0 win at Babson College on October 28 to secure the regular-season title. The Lyons' depth has been a huge reason for their success. The team has received regular contributions off the bench from junior midfielder Thomas Corridon (Westport, Conn.), sophomore midfielder Jack Morlock (Brookfield, Conn.), junior midfielder Caleb Cassetta-Waxman (Denver, Colo.), sophomore Charlie Cushing (Eastham, Mass.), and first year forward Vinny McGann (Chelmsford, Mass.), while recently first year midfielder Brent Karpowich (Cranston, R.I.) has made his presence felt in the Blue and White's attack. Wheaton's defense was led by senior keeper Michael O'Gara (Ardmore, Pa.), who topped the league with a 0.64 GAA for keepers with 750 or more minutes played, while standing second with a .821 save percentage. He also posted seven shutouts in eight league matches and was named First Team All-Conference. Junior keeper Nick Phinney (Gorham, Maine) proved to be more than just a capable back-up with a career-high 10 saves to register a shutout over Middlebury to propel the Lyons into the Sweet Sixteen. For the season, Phinney has stopped 19 of 20 shots for a sparkling .950 save percentage, while owning a minuscule 0.19 goals against mark in 464:18 minutes of action over seven matches. Senior Leao Nelson (Bar Harbor, Maine) was tabbed the NEWMAC Defensive Player of the Week twice and was voted the Defensive Athlete of the Year as well. He has scored three goals to go with an assist, while First Team defender Owen Kane (Pembroke, Mass.) has produced four goals and an assist to give him nine points to lead all Wheaton defenders. Sophomore Second Team selection Austin Hoadley (South Kent, Conn.) has contributed to the offense as well with a pair of goals, including the game-tying strike against No. 18 Brandeis. Senior Kevin Morse (Acton, Mass.) has helped solidify a backline that has helped limit opponents to just 76 shots on goal for an average of just 3.6 per game for the season. The Lyons have allowed just one marker in their last five contests and two in their last nine.
Macalester has averaged 2.43 goals per game, while owning a 0.857 goals against average. During the Scots' 10-game win streak, the team has won by multiple goals on six occasions, but has just one shutout during the stretch. The team is led by senior midfielder Ondieki Maina (Kensington, Calif.) with nine goals and 10 assists for a team-high 28 points, while boasting six players with five or more goals on the season. Junior forward Zach Liptzin (Denver, Colo.) has netted eight goals to go with an assist and first year midfielder Milan Shah (Chicago, Ill.) has come off the bench in all 21 matches, while racking up seven goals and an assist. Junior midfielder Kasdan Blattman (San Jose, Calif.) has been outstanding in setting up his mates with 12 assists in addition to scoring six times. Junior forward Chris Frantz (Maple Grove, Minn.) (6-4-16) and first year midfielder Gaven Johnson (Harrison, Ohio) (5-4-14) have also helped feed the Scots' offense. Maina, Blattman and senior back Nick Kent (Minneapolis, Minn.) were all MIAC All-Conference choices for Macalester, while Johnson and Liptzin were Honorable Mention selections. Senior midfielder Alex Beck-Ruiz (Oakland, Calif.) and sophomore midfielder Keane Palmer (Honolulu, Hawaii) have both been valuable in the middle of the field for the Scots, while junior Drew Moseman (St. Paul, Minn.) and first year Justin Ratner (Dallas, Texas) have split time in goal for Macalester. Both keepers drew a start in last weekend's NCAA Tournament matches. Moseman has started 12 matches and recorded a .829 save mark to go with a 0.57 GAA in 946:44 minutes, while Ratner has seen action in 833:15 minutes over 12 contests and sports a 0.86 goals against mark and a .765 save percentage. Moseman allowed the only shot he faced to score in the team's match with Illinois Wesleyan last Saturday and Ratner turned away two of three shots against Wisconsin-Eau Claire, before Macalester tallied the winning score in the 81st minute of play.
