WAVERLY, Iowa – The Wartburg College Knights (12-2-6, 5-1-2 A-R-C) fell in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Tournament in a hard-fought match to Gustavus Adolphus College 3-1 on Friday evening.
 
The Gusties were the first on the board this evening, scoring in the sixth minute of the game. The Wartburg Knights answered in the 18^th minute on a Curtis Ratzer goal to tie the match at one apiece. Gustavus made a penalty kick in the 38^th minute of the game to put them ahead 2-1. The Gusties put the final touches on scoring in the 66^th minute of the game to put them ahead 3-1.
 
The Knights’ phenomenal season comes to an end with an overall record of 12-2-6 and a 5-1-2 conference mark. Wartburg entered the conference tournament as the No. 2 seed and went 2-0 to claim the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Knights defeated the No. 1-seeded Loras College Duhawks in the championship match by a score of 1-0. Wartburg was playing in their 10^th NCAA tournament in program history and first under head coach Mike Madigan.