St. John's University Athletics
St. Johns Soccer to Host Conference Rival UConn this Weekend
10/22/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
This will be the first tournament to be played on the Red Storms new, state-of-the-art home field and the draw will feature two of the top teams in the BIG EAST Conference, and the country, as well as two traditional local powers. On Friday, October 25, Adelphi will play Long Island University in the opening match at 6 p.m., followed by the Red Storm facing their biggest conference rival, Connecticut, in a game tentatively scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.
St. Johns, ranked second in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and CollegeSoccerNews.com polls and third in the Soccer Times poll, went 1-0-1 last week, posting a 1-0 win over Seton Hall and tying at Syracuse on Saturday night.
The Red Storm are now 10-1-3 overall, unbeaten since losing their season opener on September 1 at Boston College. The defending BIG EAST Tournament Champions are 6-1-1 in conference play, standing in first place with 18 points. In their last 13 games, the Red Storm have outscored their opponents 22-3. The St. Johns defense ranks first nationally with a 0.32 goals against average, and leads the country in shutouts, with 10 in 14 games. That unit has been led by junior Chris Wingert (Babylon, N.Y.), an All-American and Hermann Trophy (national player of the year) candidate, who has been named the conferences defensive player of the week three times this season.
UConn will enter Fridays match with a 10-3-0 overall mark, and a 5-2-0 slate in conference play. They are coming off a 3-1 loss at Notre Dame on Sunday.
The series with the Huskies has been one of the fiercest in recent years. The head-to-head series is tied at 8-8-1, with Connecticut owning a 4-1-1 advantage in the last six meetings. The Red Storm, however, won last years BIG EAST Tournament Championship, 1-0, at Connecticut.
The Daly Worldwide Communications Tournament will conclude on Saturday with a pair of games. Connecticut will face Adelphi at 6 p.m., while the Red Storm will play Long Island at 8 p.m.