This Week in Mac Sports: 9-30-22

Gwen Reoch and Noah Riccardi
September 29, 2022

Volleyball wins enthralling comeback thriller over St. Olaf

-In the first two sets, Macalester looked outmatched and defeated, losing both 17-25.

-The third set flipped the momentum, ending in a 25-14 Scots win. Eliza King ’23 powered a rejuvenated offense with six kills in the set. Stephanie Geber ’25 tallied four kills and two blocks in a 25-16 fourth set win, forcing a fifth and final set.

-The Scots and Oles battled back and forth in the best-of-15 decider. Kills from King and Gwen Wooten ’25 put the Scots up 14-13, but the next point was dropped to force deuce.

-Another Wooten kill brought match point, and a misplaced pass by St. Olaf ended the game. A Leonard Center crowd of over 200 erupted into cheers at the monumental comeback. The Scots had not beaten the Oles since 2016.

Football loses close game to St. Olaf

-After going into the half down 12, Mac played a strong second half but fell just short, 32-38.

-Quarterback Michael Nadeau ’24 led the Mac offense and posted impressive stats, recording 329 yards through the air and five passing touchdowns.

-Linebacker Noah Bresson ’24 tallied a game-high nine tackles, including one for loss and a sack.

-See article on page 4 for more info.

Women’s soccer goes 2-1-0 in four day challenge

-Women’s soccer began their weekend with a 2-1 win against conference opponent St. Olaf. Macalester held on through three late St. Olaf corner kicks to win.

-The next day, they traveled to Menomonie, WI to face University of Wisconsin-Stout. Recent walk-on Gaby Valle ’25 scored two goals, while Bella Zerafa ’25, typically a forward, stood in as goalkeeper for 85 minutes, recording four saves and a clean sheet in an ultra-impressive 2-0 win.

-Women’s soccer finished their three-game stretch with a 2-2 draw against conference opponent Bethel, with Mikaely Evans ’25 and Ella Thomsen ’24 scoring a goal each.

Tennis teams compete and scrimmage

-Women’s tennis competed in the ITA Midwest Regional tournament and the Gustie Invite, both at Gustavus Adolphus College from Sept. 23-25, though no athlete managed to exit the first round.

-Men’s tennis scrimmaged University of Minnesota’s club team.

Golf teams contest tournaments over weekend

-Womens golf played the St. Kate’s Fall Invite, coming 12th place as a team. Phebe Chen ’24 shot 78 and 76 over the two day event, earning 10th individually.

-Men’s golf participated in the Twin Cities Classic from Sept. 24-26, tying 16th in the team competition. Fritz Gessl ’23 led the way for the Scots, shooting 245 over three rounds to finish 62nd individually.

Men’s Soccer splits pair of conference games

-On Saturday Macalester lost 0-4 to St. Olaf, but the Scots bounced back to record a 3-1 victory at Bethel on Wednesday.

-Forward Branko Sciortino ’24 had a goal and an assist.

-Goalkeeper Sam Price ’25 had an impressive performance, saving seven shots while allowing only one goal.

Numbers of the week

22:15 – minutes played by Gaby Valle ’25 in her first career game before scoring

408.3 – MIAC-leading passing yards per game recorded by Macalester’s offense

6 – Number of yellow cards received by men’s soccer this season, lowest in the MIAC.

Upcoming in sports

Thursday, Sept. 29

Women’s Tennis vs. University of Minnesota Club Team (6:00 PM)

Friday, Sept. 30