The women’s soccer team thumped rival St. Thomas 5-0 on Tuesday to reach the finals of the MIAC playoff tournament, outshooting their hosts 11-5. Annie Borton ’07 opened the scoring in the fourth minute. Macalester followed with three more goals in the half from Meghan Leahey ’06, Sarah Marsh ’05 and Jessica Bullen ’05.

Leahey scored off a long pass from Erla Petursdottir ’04, while Marsh capitalized on a corner kick by Katie Pastorius ’06. Bullen scored a penalty kick after Borton was brought down in the box. Borton capped the night for the Scots with a strike in the 82nd minute.

The team visits top seed St. Benedict’s on Saturday. A win would give Macalester a spot in the national Division III tournament. The team remains positive, despite losing 0-1 when the two sides met earlier this season. “Most of our team feels…if we could beat St. Thomas so convincingly, we have a very good shot at beating St. Ben’s,” Bullen said. “Over Fall Break we played the University of Chicago and we lost 1-0. They’re ranked number one nationally, so we know we can compete with the best.”

Meanwhile the top-seeded men’s team reached their playoff tournament final on Wednesday, dispatching St. Thomas with a 2-0 home victory. Magnus Oppenheimer ’07 opened the scoring in the 19th minute. The Tommies picked up their game and gave the home side a scare when a shot from Joe Roedler hit the crossbar. The Scots’ goalkeeper Tyler Morken-Simmers ’04 also made two tough saves, allowing Macalester to end the half holding the narrow lead.

The second half started better for the Scots. Midfielder Robbie Swick ’05 was brought down in the box after two minutes, but the resulting penalty shot by Nathan Knox ’04 hit the post. The Scots increased their lead in the 63rd minute after a beautiful cross from Joe Wertz ’05 found Brendan Viele ’05 who headed the ball past St. Thomas’s goalkeeper. In the 73rd minute, Morken-Simmers denied St. Thomas with a fabulous save off a free kick. Knox almost made it 3-0 with 10 minutes left in the game, but his shot was denied again by the post. Macalester plays host to Gustavus Adolphus this evening and may be forced to play without starting defender Stuart Peacock ’05 who left Wednesday’s game with an ankle injury. Gustavus had held Macalester to a 1-1 draw when the two sides met last Friday in St. Peter.