The Gustavus Men’s Soccer team picked up a pair of wins last week to extend their win-streak to four games.

Last Tuesday, the Gusties hosted St. Scholastica for their fifth non-conference game of the year.

The game proved to be a tale of two very different halves, and the Gusties eventually prevailed 4-2.

Although both teams tallied seven shots in the first half, neither was able to put points on the board.

The second half turned into a high-scoring affair and the Gusties struck first in the 50th minute.

Sophomore Trace Dobson found the back of the net off of a corner kick from fellow Sophomore Matthew Gibbons to give the Gusties a 1-0 lead.

In the 58th minute, the Saints responded with a goal of their own, but the Gusties wasted no time regaining the lead.

Just three minutes later, Senior Arthur Parens slotted his sixth goal of the season on an assist from Junior Joe Brandel.

The Gusties kept their momentum going and added another in the 66th minute. This time it was Sophomore Scott Heinen who scored his first goal of the season as he sent a rebound over a defender’s head while the goalie was out of position.

The Saints scored once more to put some pressure on, but Gibbons put the game away in the 72nd minute when he scored on a free kick.

Senior Anders Severson was strong in goal, recording six saves throughout the entire 90-minute game.

The Gusties carried this momentum into Wednesday, when they traveled to Arden Hills, MN to take on the Bethel Royals.

This time, they started strong and controlled the game.

Senior David Almaer started off the scoring for the Gusties in the 13th minute when he took a pass from fellow Senior Daniel Barnes and put it past the Royals’ goaltender.

Then, just seven minutes later, Gibbons scored his fourth goal of the season unassisted.

Gibbons wasn’t done yet; his second goal of the game and fifth of the season came in the 51st minute to give the Gusties a 3-0 lead.

Bethel was able to cut their deficit to two goals in the 57th minute with a goal of their own, but the Gusties held on for the rest of the game and escaped with a 3-1 victory.

With the pair of wins, the Gusties sit alone atop the MIAC rankings, and are riding an eight-game unbeaten streak. Their last loss came to Luther College on Sept. 7, over a month ago.

They are currently ranked No. 7 in the northern region by the United Soccer Coaches Poll rankings published on Oct. 9.

“I think spirits are high, but the balance there is trying to enjoy the moment and be present. We’ve talked the entire year about not focusing on the finish line, and they’ve really bought into that,” Head Coach Tudor Flintham said.

For his stellar offensive efforts which included three goals and an assist in two games last week, Gibbons was awarded MIAC Men’s Soccer Athlete of the Week honors.

“That award, which Anders Severson won earlier this year, is treated as a team award. It’s nice to get the recognition but I can’t do it without my brothers,” Gibbons said.

Coach Tudor Flintham attributed much of the team’s success lately to their humility and selflessness.

“We’re not really a team that’s based around stars, and the guys have really bought into system-based roles. It’s all about ‘What does the unit do?’ ‘What does the team do?’ ‘What are our group goals?’ They’ve been fantastic and bought into that immediately.” Flintham said, echoing Gibbons’ sentiment.

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, the Gusties have four more conference games before playoffs, which begin on Oct. 30.

“We recognize that we’re not a finished product, so while we’re in a good spot at the top of the conference, there’s a lot of things to still work on and collectively that just means we’re executing on the objectives we’ve had from day one,” Flintham said.

The Gusties will look to continue their winning ways on Saturday, Oct. 13 at St. John’s.