St. John's University Athletics
St. Johns Mens Soccer Earns No. 1 National Ranking
9/30/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
On Monday afternoon, the Red Storm leaped to the top, earning the No. 1 national ranking in the country for the first time in program history.
St. Johns, ranked No. 2 entering last weeks action, posted a 1-0 shutout win over 10th-ranked Notre Dame in a driving rain last Thursday, and followed that up with a thrilling 1-0 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday night. The wins improved the Red Storm to 7-1-1 overall and 4-1-0 in the BIG EAST, giving them 12 conference points and moving them into first place.
The Red Storm moved into the top spot in the polls after previous No. 1, Stanford, lost at home on Saturday afternoon to Tulsa, 3-1. This is the first time in the 23-year history of the program that the Red Storm have been ranked No. 1 during the regular season. (They were No. 1 at the end of the 1996 season after winning the NCAA National Championship, and No. 1 in the 97 preseason.)
This is a tremendous honor for our program, 12th-year head coach Dave Masur said. Were obviously very excited, but at the same time, we know weve got a long way to go. Our goal is to be back in Dallas (site of this years Final Four), and to win a national title.
Since taking over the St. Johns program in 1991, Masur has guided the Red Storm to heights never seen before at the University. He has a career record of 236-66-33, which ranks 25th among all active coaches, and his .753 winning percentage ranks sixth nationally. St. Johns has been selected to the last 10 NCAA Tournaments and is one of only two schools nationally to be reach the Sweet 16 the last six years (joined by Indiana).
The Red Storm have been led this year by junior captain Chris Wingert (Babylon, N.Y.), the BIG EASTs Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. A first-team all-conference selection last year, Wingert has three goals and one assist for seven points this year. Wingert, a third-team Verizon Academic All-American selection last year, is a member of the United States U-23 National Team.
In addition, Wingert has led a defensive unit that has shut out seven opponents this season. Junior goalkeeper Bill Gaudette (Hummelstown, Pa.), selected as CollegeSoccerNews.coms National Player of the Week and the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week, has a 0.41 goals against average, allowing one goal in the last 740 minutes of play.
St. Johns recently opened a new home for its soccer programs with the unveiling of Belson Stadium, a 2,300-seat, state-of-the-art facility located on the Queens campus. The Red Storm have a 2-0-1 record so far at Belson Stadium, and are averaging more than 1,600 fans per game.
The No. 1 ranked mens soccer team in the country returns to action on Friday, playing Old Dominion at 6 p.m. during the first round of the Rutgers Classic. They will play 16th-ranked UCLA on Sunday in the second round.