ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The 2011
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Fall Playoffs
will begin on Tuesday with two women's soccer semifinal games and a
pair of volleyball quarterfinal matches. The Men's Soccer Playoffs
will follow a day later, with both semifinal games set for
Wednesday.
The Playoffs officially open Tuesday afternoon, with both women's
soccer matches starting at 2 p.m. Top-seeded Saint Benedict
(11-6-1, 8-2-1 MIAC) hosts No. 4 Macalester (11-6-1, 7-3-1 MIAC) in
St. Joseph in one semifinal, and second-seeded Carleton (11-5-2,
8-2-1 MIAC) hosts third-seeded Concordia (11-2-5, 7-1-3) in the
other semifinal match. The Blazers and Knights tied for the 2011
regular season conference championship, and the Cobbers enter the
playoff as the defending champion.
Both semifinal contests are rematches of great regular-season
games. When they met on Sept. 14, Macalester actually handed
co-champ Saint Benedict one of its two conference losses in a
thrilling 1-0 double-overtime game. Carleton and Concordia also
went to double-overtime on Sept. 24, with the game ending in a
scoreless tie. The Knights and Cobbers also met in last year's
Playoff championship game, which ended with Concordia winning on
penalty kicks.
The spotlight turns to volleyball Tuesday evening with two 7 p.m.
quarterfinal matches. No. 3 Bethel (21-8, 6-3 MIAC) hosts No. 6
Augsburg (16-11, 7-4 MIAC) in Arden Hills while No. 4 Saint
Benedict (17-11, 8-3 MIAC) hosts No. 5 Gustavus (20-9, 7-4 MIAC) in
St. Joseph. Meanwhile, the conference co-champs - No. 1 Concordia
(23-3, 10-1 MIAC) and No. 2 St. Thomas (28-3, 10-1 MIAC) - await
the winners in the semifinals. The Bethel/Augsburg winner will face
the Tommies in St. Paul, while the Saint Benedict/Gustavus winner
will travel to Moorhead Thursday to face the Cobbers.
The two volleyball quarterfinals are also fitting rematches, as
both regular-season matchups went the distance to five sets. The
Royals will be looking for revenge after Augsburg claimed a 3-2
victory in the regular season on Sept. 28, and Saint Benedict was a
3-2 winner over the Gusties on Oct. 22. The defending Playoff
champion, St. Olaf, finished in a tie for seventh and is not in
this year's field.
The opening round of the Fall Playoffs concludes Tuesday with a
pair of men's soccer semifinal games at 2 p.m., both in Northfield.
Top-seeded St. Olaf (14-3-1, 7-2-1 MIAC) hosts fourth-seeded
Augsburg (10-4-3, 6-3-1 MIAC) in one semifinal, and No. 2 Carleton
(11-5-2, 7-2-1 MIAC) hosts No. 3 Gustavus (14-1-3, 6-1-3 MIAC) in
the other. The Oles and Knights shared the league's regular-season
championship.
The Carleton/Gustavus semifinal is a fitting rematch of a
regular-season matchup that finished without a winner. The two
played to a scoreless, double-overtime tie on Oct. 1. When St. Olaf
and Augsburg met in the regular season on Oct. 12, the Oles scored
a 2-0 win. However, the Auggies are the defending Playoff champion
and bring that postseason experience to their second matchup.
Most of Tuesday and Wednesday's action will have live video or live
stats or both. The complete schedule -with links to live broadcasts
- is listed below. All three MIAC Playoff championship games will
take place Saturday, with the winners receiving automatic bids to
the 2011 NCAA Division III Playoffs. The MIAC has a page dedicated
to each sport's Playoffs,
which contains complete schedules, team information and more, and
will be the best source for scores, recaps, live broadcast links
and more throughout the postseason.
Women's Soccer Playoffs |
Semifinals | Tuesday, Nov. 1 |
No. 4 Macalester at No. 1 Saint Benedict – 2 p.m. – St.
Joseph, Minn.
No. 3 Concordia at No. 2 Carleton –2 p.m. – Northfield,
Minn. | Live Web
cast/stats |
MIAC Volleyball Playoffs |
Quarterfinals | Tuesday, Nov. 1 |
No. 6 Augsburg at No. 3 Bethel – 7 p.m. – Arden Hills,
Minn. | Live Web
cast/stats |
No. 5 Gustavus at No. 4 Saint Benedict – 7 p.m. – St.
Joseph, Minn. | Live Web
cast |
Men's Soccer Playoffs |
Semifinals | Wednesday, Nov. 2
|
No. 4 Augsburg at No. 1 St. Olaf – 2 p.m.
– Northfield, Minn. | Live Web
cast/stats |
No. 3 Gustavus at No. 2 Carleton – 2 p.m. – Northfield,
Minn. | Live Web
cast/stats |
MIAC
Playoffs & Championships Page