St. John's University Athletics
Red Storm Men's Soccer Preview Part Four: Goalkeeping
8/16/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
The Red Storm men's soccer team enters the 2006 season as the nation's only program to reach 10 consecutive NCAA Tournament Rounds of 16. Under head coach Dr. Dave Masur, St. John's has played in the last 14 straight NCAA Tournaments, won 11 BIG EAST Tournament and regular season titles and been crowned national champions in the 1996 season.
As the team approaches the start of its 2006 exhibition schedule, RedStormSports.com will feature a four-part preview of the upcoming season. The fourth and final preview focuses on the Red Storm's group of goalkeepers, with the final segment on the team's goalkeepers to follow this week.
Part One: Forwards and Attack
Part Two: The Midfield
Part Three: Team Defense
Previewing the Goalkeepers
Jason Landers, the 2006 preseason BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year, headlines a deep group of Red Storm goalkeepers. Junior Neal Kitson and sophomore transfer Anthony DeMarco both have collegiate experience under their belts, and talented redshirt freshman Michael Keohane makes his debut after missing the 2005 season due to injury.
"We have a nice mix of goalkeepers," said Masur. "Jason has learned a lot since last summer and has worked on his agility and sharpness this summer. Neal Kitson and Anthony DeMarco both add a great deal in terms of depth and experience, and Michael Keohane has shown terrific quickness and alertness, as well as the ability to kick very well."
The 6-foot-7 Landers became the first player in St. John's history to be named BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year last year after posting a 0.70 goals against average and 11 shutouts. He has continued to work through the summer and should be a steady and consistent presence in goal for the Red Storm.
Kitson and DeMarco have both gained significant collegiate playing experience and provide depth, experience and the ability to push the returning starter Landers. Masur calls Kitson's abilities as a shot stopper 'exceptional', and DeMarco's abilities as a shot stopper saw him rank eighth in the nation with an average of 6.18 saves per game for Cleveland State.
2005 Review Notes
Landers Named BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year and Red Storm Earns Five All-BIG EAST Selections
Jason Landers became the first player in school history to earn BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year honors and was one of five St. John's players to be named to the all-BIG EAST first and second teams. Matt Groenwald, Landers and Steven Old were all first team honorees, while Jeff Carroll and Garry Lewis were named to the second team.
The Red Storm led the conference with five first and second team selections, giving the program 76 all-BIG EAST selections under head coach Dr. Dave Masur. The three first team selections St. John's received were tied for the second-most in the last nine seasons, and Groenwald tied a school record with the third first team all-conference distinction of his career.
Team Defense Ranks Among the Nation's Best
With 11 shutouts, including a run of six straight before a 2-2 tie with No. 1 Akron on Oct. 12, and a team goals against average of 0.69, the Red Storm defense ranked among the league's and nation's best. The team's overall goals against average (16th, 0.69) and shutout percentage (15th, 0.50) were both among the top 20 in the nation.
The Red Storm had the second-lowest goals against average (0.69) in the BIG EAST and posted the third-highest shutouts total (11) in the conference. In addition, its goals against average of 0.34 in BIG EAST games was tops in the league, well ahead of UConn's second-best average of 0.71.
Individually, goalkeeper Jason Landers ranked 15th in the nation with a 0.70 goals against average and posted the third-highest single-season shutout percentage in school history (0.50). Landers ranked third in the BIG EAST with 10 shutouts and fifth with an average of 0.46 shutouts per game.
Belson-timidation: St. John's Protects Its Home Turf in 2005
Ten home games and a 7-1-2 record in 2005 brought the program's overall record to 27-3-7 in 37 games at Belson Stadium since the facility's opening midway through the 2002 season. Belson has proven to be one of the nation's toughest places to play, as St. John's has won 82 percent of its games on the stadium's turf.
But winning at home is nothing new to the Red Storm since head coach Dr. Dave Masur took over in 1991. Since Masur's arrival, no St. John's team has lost more than one game on its home field, and included in that is six unbeaten campaigns and an astounding .856 home win percentage (106-10-19).
