Over the weekend, the men’s soccer team won both final games, sending them to the 2023 NCAA DIII championship. 

The first of the two games took place on Saturday, Nov. 11 against the North Central College Cardinals in Platteville, Wisconsin. 

“North Central was a great opponent,” third-year accounting and finance student Carter Theisfeld said,  “We knew they were ranked No. 4. We just had a win-or-go-home mindset and we won both games. That’s the biggest thing we can take away from this weekend.” 

At the 50-minute mark, third-year biology student Nathan Donovan made two consecutive goals, assisted by Thesfield. The Blugolds kept the two-point lead until halfway through the second half when the Cardinals got their first goal. 

“We have the nation’s leader in assists the last two years in Carter Thiesfeld,” head coach Casey Holm said. “Learning the game and coming together has been huge. They took what the coaching staff has given them and made those crucial adjustments to get to where we are.”

The game ended with a box score of 2-1, with the Blugolds taking home the win and moving forward to the second game of the finals. 

“We went in with our coach’s game plan,” Thesfield said. “It was very clearly set out for us, and even though the other team ended up scoring, we still maintained the lead and that is all we could really ask for.”

The team played their second game at 9 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 12 against the UW-Platteville Pioneers. 

“We are missing our senior captain Max Walters due to injury, but a lot of freshmen have stepped up. We started four in our last match,” Holm said. “Captains Sam Lynch and Ethan Andersen have been phenomenal leaders down the stretch.”

According to Theisfeld, the team emphasizes the importance of staying on their toes and overcoming adversity when they play. 

“The game times were a challenge,” Holm said. “We didn’t kick off until 9 p.m. on Saturday, and once we won, we couldn’t get the guys fed, to bed, back up and recovered with having to create a new game plan to play again.” 

According to Holm, the team’s support staff took action to help the players fuel properly after the game. 

“Our main goal heading into our next game is listening to Coach Holm and his game plan because he led us to the win during these first two games and we all believe that he can do it again,” Theisfeld said. “We want to come out with a win and move onto the championship.”

The Blugolds are headed to the NCAA Sweet 16 at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 17 at the University of Chicago to play against the St. Olaf College Oles. 

“Our goal is to represent our school at the highest level and forge our legacy,” Holm said. “We want to do something that has never been done before, as well as something that will be talked about long after we are gone.”

Allessi can be reached at [email protected].