Soccer team heads to Virginia for Final Four

The team hoists its conference championship trophy. The Tommies earned an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament with the win. (Spencer Flaten/TommieMedia file photo)
The team hoists its conference championship trophy. The Tommies earned an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament with the win. (Spencer Flaten/TommieMedia file photo)

The St. Thomas men’s soccer team is Final Four bound today, as the team was scheduled to depart Minnesota Wednesday afternoon. The Tommies play Tuffs at 10 a.m. CST Friday in Salem, Virginia.

If the Tommies win Friday, they play in the National Championship game at 12:30 on Saturday.

Tony Kuplic scored the game-winning goal with three minutes left in overtime after the Tommies scored twice in nine minutes to send the game into overtime in the Elite Eight game against Redlands (Calif.).

This is the first NCAA Division-III Final Four appearance in the team’s history.

Men’s basketball

The No. 12-ranked St. Thomas Men’s basketball team seeks to extend its three game winning streak as it opens MIAC conference play this week.

The Tommies will face Macalester tonight at Schoenecker Arena and will travel to Augsburg Saturday.

Senior guard Grant Shaeffer is coming off a strong 20-point and five-assist game in a 83-65 win over St. Scholastica.

Women’s basketball

The No. 6-ranked St. Thomas women’s basketball team is scheduled to play Macalester tonight and Augsburg Saturday on the road.

The Tommies are undefeated with a three-game winning streak, scoring 70 or more points in each of their victories.

The women’s team handed UW-Stevens Point its first loss of the season with a 76-65 victory last Sunday afternoon at Schoenecker Arena. Sophomore guard Hannah Spaulding scored a career-high 20 points in the home opener.

Football

The third-ranked St. Thomas football team will host fifth-ranked UW-Oshkosh at noon this Saturday in a NCAA Division-III Elite Eight matchup.

The Tommies defeated Coe College 55-6 last Saturday behind a balanced offensive and tough defensive performance.

Coach Glenn Caruso said the defense is playing as well as he has ever seen.

The team gained 605 yards behind 35 rushes for 263 yards and 35 passes for 342 yards. Quarterback Alex Fenske surpassed 5,000 career passing yards as he threw three touchdowns and ran for one before Jacques Perra replaced him in the second half.

UW-Oshkosh frustrated St. Johns 31-14 last Saturday, foiling the possibility of a Tommie-Johnnie playoff game.

St. Thomas is 16-1 at home in the NCAA playoffs under coach Glenn Caruso and 17-6 overall.

Men’s hockey

The St. Thomas men’s hockey team is scheduled to play Hamline University in a two-game duel Friday and Saturday. Friday’s matchup is at St. Paul’s Oscar Johnson Arena and Saturday’s matchup is at the St. Thomas Ice Arena.

Head coach Jeff Boeser is in his seventh year at St. Thomas and is seeking his 100th victory.

The Tommies (4-2-3) are coming off a road tie against No. 3-ranked Adrian (Mich.). St. Thomas managed to comeback from a 3-0 deficit to send the game into overtime.

Women’s hockey

The St. Thomas women’s hockey team will play Hamline University in a two-game duel Friday and Saturday. Friday’s matchup is at the St. Thomas Ice Arena and Saturday’s matchup is at St. Paul’s Oscar Johnson Arena.

Senior All-American Kathryn Larson scored two goals against Bethel last Saturday before the game ended in a 4-4 overtime tie.

Larson has scored five of the team’s 13 goals this season.