NORTHFIELD, MINN.—Both teams were tick-for-tack in the shots category, but No. 3 seed St. Olaf prevailed on home field with a 2-0 victory over No. 6 seed Bethel University in the 2026 MIAC Women's Soccer Playoff Quarterfinal on Tuesday afternoon.
The Royals conclude their 2026 season with a 6-9-2 overall record, while the Oles advance to the 2026 MIAC Women's Soccer Playoff Semifinal at No. 2 Carleton on Thursday with a 14-2-4 record.
St. Olaf 2, Bethel 0
Bethel kicked off the rainy afternoon with the game's first four shots within the opening 10:00. Rachel Anderson fired St. Olaf's first shot of the game in the 12th minute. Anderson also gave her team a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute when she took a cross pass inside the box from Lillian Rediger, and put the ball in the top corner.
St. Olaf went into halftime leading 1-0 despite a 6-5 shots advantage for Bethel.
The second half also saw Bethel jump out with the first shots of the period before St. Olaf ended the final 45:00 with a 9-6 advantage in that category. This included one from Wren VanDeWalker, who netted two goals against the Royals in their regular season meeting at Royal Stadium on October 24. She gave the Oles a 2-0 lead with a shot to the corner in the 59th minute.
St. Olaf out shot Bethel 14-12 in the contest, but it was the Royals with the 8-6 edge in shots on goal. Hannah Kvant led all players with six shots, and three shots on goal for the Royals.
Bethel goalkeeper Abby Wright had four saves over 90:00, while Charlotte Percy stopped eight shots between the pipes for St. Olaf.
The Royals will enter the 2026-27 offseason fresh off their first MIAC Playoff appearance since 2019, while looking to fill voids left by seniors Abby Wright, Jessica Oliver, Hannah Kvant, Bela Flores, Eva Patenaude, Taylor Sievert, and Natalie Daniels.
