St. John's University Athletics
Landers And Spanos Earn BIG EAST Conference Weekly Honors
8/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
After a 2-0 week for the No. 17 St. John's men's soccer team, junior goalkeeper Jason Landers and senior defender Georgios Spanos were named BIG EAST Goalkeeper and Defender of the Week, respectively. Landers and Spanos both played key roles in the team's back-to-back shutouts at Michigan (2-0, Friday, Aug. 25) and Oakland (1-0, Sunday, Aug. 27) to begin the season.
Landers, the 2006 BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year, made a combined seven saves in the wins over Michigan and Oakland. The junior helped the Red Storm open the 2006 season with consecutive shutouts for the third straight year and moved into a tie for ninth place on the St. John's career shutouts list with 14.
Spanos and the Red Storm defense held Michigan to just three shots on goal in a 2-0 season-opening win and then limited Oakland to just four shots in a 1-0 win on Sunday, Aug. 27. The senior captain helped St. John's to a 13-7 shots on goal advantage and a 17-10 edge in corner kicks, keeping the pressure off Landers and helping to propel the Red Storm's attack.
Three different players scored their first career goals in the two games, and freshman midfielder Andy Foote assisted on each of the Red Storm's game-winning goals. Senior Patrik Engstrom scored the team's first goal of the season against Michigan, and junior Jeff Stepan followed with a score midway through the second half. Freshman Ryan Soroka scored the game-winner on a cross by Foote less than a minute into the win at Oakland.
St. John's, which has never lost a home opener under the direction of head coach Dr. Dave Masur, returns home for a Friday, Sept. 1 matchup with No. 25 Virginia Tech. The Red Storm has posted a 13-0-2 all-time record in home openers under Masur and a 106-10-19 home record in the last 15 seasons.
BIG EAST Weekly Honors
Offensive Player of the Week
Justin McGeeney, Notre Dame
Defensive Player of the Week
Georgios Spanos, St. John's
Goalkeeper of the Week
Jason Landers, St. John's
Rookie of the Week
Mike Seamon, Villanova
