The goalkeeper on a soccer team can be the loneliest player on the field ... or the center of attention. When it is the latter, the game is often on the line. Such was the case last Saturday at Paterson Fieldwhen HU junior Dean Isaacson was occasionally all that stood between Hamline maintaining a 1-0 advantage over Carleton or the game becoming a tie.Â
Fortunately for the Pipers, Isaacson was more than up to the occasion. The St. Paul, Minn. native stood strong with six saves -- five in the second half alone -- to earn his third shutout of the season and 12th of his college career. The 1-0 win pushed the Pipers back over the .500 mark overall with a 4-3 record and evened their MIAC standard at 1-1.Â
Isaacson ranks second in the conference in saves with 24 and in save percentage at .800. Last Wednesday, he had five saves in Hamline's 1-0 loss at Macalester. The only goal he allowed was on a penalty kick. Several minutes earlier, he had stopped a penalty kick as part of a four save second half effort.Â
The Pipers have two matches this week. They play a non-conference affair at Wis-Sup[erior Wednesday and return to Paterson Field next Saturday, Sept. 23Â to host Concordia in a 1:00 p.m. affair.
