St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Opens At adidas/IU Credit Union Classic
9/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 3, 2009
QUEENS, N.Y. - The No. 5/3 St. John's men's soccer team will open its 2009 campaign this weekend against a pair of ranked opponents as part of the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic. The Red Storm will take on the host No. 7/4 Indiana Hoosiers at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 4 in the season-opener before taking on BIG EAST foe No. 12/10 Notre Dame at 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 6 in a non-conference match. Both contests will have GameTracker, while the Indiana game will feature live streaming video at www.iuhoosiers.com.
Stat Of The Week
11-3-4: St. John's record in season openes with head coach Dr. Dave Masur at the helm. St. John's is 5-0-0 in season openers since 2004. In the 2008 season-opener, St. John's defeated then-No. 18 Virginia, 1-0.
Inside The Series With Indiana
- The season-opener will mark the sixth meeting between the two schools in a series that began in 2001.
- St. John's leads the series 3-2-0, including a 1-0-0 record in games played at Indiana and a 1-2-0 record in NCAA Tournament games.
- The first-ever meeting in the series was a 2-1 season-opening win for St. John's as part of the adidas/Indiana Credit Union Classic.
- In the most recent meeting, in the NCAA Quarterfinals on Dec. 6, 2008, St. John's rallied from a 2-0 deficit with less than 10 minutes remaining in regulation to force overtime. Nelson Becerra converted a penalty kick in the first overtime, sending St. John's to the College Cup with a 3-2 win.
Scouting The Hoosiers
- Indiana was 14-7-3 (3-3-0) a year ago, advancing to the Big Ten title game and reaching the NCAA Quarterfinals. The Hoosiers were 7-2-2 at home.
- Andy Adlard (7g, 5a), a second team All-Big Ten selection, leads the offense. Eric Alexander (3g, 4a) was a unanimous All-Big Ten choice and Will Bruin (6g, 0a) was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
- Defender Ofori Sarkodie (1g in 2008) was named a second team preseason All-American by Soccer America.
- For the seventh-straight season, the Hoosiers were selected as the favorites to win the Big Ten title.
Inside The Series With Notre Dame
- This will be the 18th meeting in a series that started in 1995.
- St. John's leads the all-time series 10-3-4, including a 3-1-0 mark in games played at neutral sites.
Scouting The Fighting Irish
- The defending BIG EAST Blue Division regular season champions, Notre Dame was 12-7-2 (7-2-2) in 2008 and earned a first round bye with the No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
- A preseason All-BIG EAST choice and a 2008 first team selection, Bright Dike led the league in goals (12) and points (29) a year ago.
- Michael Thomas (8g, 5a), a preseason All-BIG EAST selection and a 2008 second team choice, and Jev Brovsky (5g, 6a), a 2008 third team selection, help pace the offense.
- Notre Dame was selected as the favorites to win the 2009 BIG EAST Blue Division.
St. John's In The adidas/IU Credit Union Classic
- This is the Red Storm's second appearance in Indiana's adidas/IU Credit Union Classic and the squad is a perfect 2-0-0.
- The champions of the classic in 2001, the Red Storm defeated Indiana (2-1) and Butler (3-0).
Gustafsson Named Candidate For Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
- Senior defender Joel Gustafsson is one of 60 student-athletes, 30 male and 30 female, selected as candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.
- An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
- Candidates must be a NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in the areas of classroom, character, community and competition.
- A philosophy major with a 3.40 GPA, Gustafsson was a second team All-American and the reigning BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year.
Soccer America Tabs Pair As Preseason All-Americans
- Seniors Joel Gustafsson and Nelson Becerra have been named preseason All-Americans by Soccer America. Gustafsson was a first team selection, while Becerra was named to the second team.
- Both players had previously been selected as preseason All-Americans by College Soccer News.
- Named to the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy Watch List, Gustafsson was a named the Preseason BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. The reigning BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year was a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team.
- The defending BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year, Becerra was also selected to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team.
