St. Olaf College

St. Olaf College Athletics
1520 St. Olaf Avenue Northfield, MN 55057

Division 3 Minnesota Northwest

Private Small Competitive team

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Coaches

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Justin Oliver

Justin Oliver is in his first season as the head coach of the St. Olaf men's soccer program in 2023-24 after being named to the position on July 19, 2023. He is in his fifth season overall on the program's coaching staff.

Oliver was an assistant coach for the program for three seasons from 2019-21 before being promoted to associate head coach in December of 2021.

After coming to the Hill in January 2019, Oliver helped Wall build St. Olaf into one of the top programs in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) and the region, winning a pair of MIAC titles and making back-to-back appearances in the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA Tournament. In addition to winning the 2021 MIAC regular-season title with an unblemished 10-0-0 record - just the fifth time a team accomplished the feat in conference history - and winning the 2022 MIAC Playoffs, the Oles matched their deepest-ever runs in the NCAA Tournament with consecutive "Sweet 16" appearances in 2021 and 2022, becoming one of just five NCAA Division III men's soccer programs to do so. In total, St. Olaf went 43-18-3 (.695) overall during Oliver's four seasons on the staff, including a mark of 22-7-1 (.750) in MIAC play.

In Oliver's four seasons with the program, St. Olaf produced three United Soccer Coaches All-Americans, four D3soccer.com All-Americans, eight United Soccer Coaches All-Region honorees, four MIAC major award recipients, 12 All-MIAC selections, four Honorable Mention All-MIAC honorees, and 30 Academic All-MIAC honorees. Oliver was also part of the 2021 United Soccer Coaches Region IX Coaching Staff of the Year. After not appearing in the national rankings since the end of the 2015 seasons, the Oles were ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 nine times over the last two seasons and ended both the 2021 and 2022 seasons ranked in the top 15 nationally.

A Second Team All-American for the University of St. Thomas in 2017-18, Oliver joined head coach Travis Wall's staff after serving as the head coach at North St. Paul High School in 2018, leading the team to a 14-4-0 record. He also coached at St. Croix Academy from 2015-19.

Oliver transferred to St. Thomas after three years at Division I Eastern Illinois University, where he recorded 10 goals and five assists in 54 appearances. In his one season as a Tommie, Oliver scored 16 goals and added five assists in 23 appearances, leading to United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American honors. He was also a First Team All-Midwest Region pick by the United Soccer Coaches and a First Team All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) selection, as St. Thomas advanced to the national quarterfinals and won MIAC regular-season and playoff titles.

After playing with Kaw Valley FC and Minneapolis City SC following graduation, Oliver went on trial with two-time defending USL champion Louisville City FC. While with Minneapolis City SC, he was twice named to the National Premier Soccer League Team of the Week in 2018.

Oliver was a standout at North St. Paul High School and ranks third all-time in Minnesota with 154 career points on 92 goals (fifth all-time) and 62 assists (sixth all-time). He was a two-time All-Midwest Region and All-State selection and was named Minnesota's Mr. Soccer and Gatorade Player of the Year, as well as an NSCAA All-American. His teams went a combined 66-9-3.

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Matthew Gibbons

Matthew Gibbons is in his first season as an assistant coach for the St. Olaf men’s soccer program in 2023-24.

Gibbons played four years of soccer at Gustavus Adolphus College, where he was a three-time All-MIAC honoree, a three-time United Soccer Coaches First Team All-Region honoree, and a two-time All-American. He was named a United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American in 2018 after recording seven goals and 11 assists in 18 games and was named a D3soccer.com Third Team All-American in 2019 after compiling eight goals and 17 assists in 18 games.

During his four-year career, Gibbons tallied 95 points on 27 goals and 41 assists in 72 games for the Gusties, collecting All-MIAC honors in 2018, 2019, and 2021 after being an Honorable Mention All-MIAC honoree in 2017. His teams went a combined 59-18-2 (.760) and won a pair of MIAC regular-season titles and one MIAC Playoffs title, while making a pair of appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

After graduating from Gustavus, Gibbons played professionally in Germany for Germania Eicherscheid and SV Breinig.

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Ben Braman

Ben Braman '17 is in his fifth season as an assistant coach for the St. Olaf College men's soccer program in 2023-24 and works primarily with the goalkeepers.

Braman has helped St. Olaf to back-to-back appearances in the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA Tournament in each of the past two seasons, making the Oles one of five NCAA Division III men's soccer programs across the country to accomplish that feat. He has also been on the coaching staffs for teams that won the 2021 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) regular-season title - with a perfect 10-0-0 record - and the 2022 MIAC Playoffs title.

A four-year starter for St. Olaf from 2013-16, Braman started 53 of his 60 appearances for the Oles, posting a career record of 34-17-7 with 23 shutouts. He recorded 211 saves, a 0.92 goals-against average and a .793 save percentage.

Braman was a member of the 2014 MIAC-title-winning team and the 2015 team that won the MIAC Playoffs title and advanced to the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. The Oles finished the 2015 season ranked No. 15 in the country.