St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Travels to Xavier for Saturday Showdown
10/7/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
QUEENS, N.Y. - One of just three teams in the league that remains unbeaten in conference play, the St. John's men's soccer squad will look to extend its best BIG EAST start in nearly a decade on Saturday afternoon when the team travels to Cincinnati for a 1 p.m. showdown with Xavier. Due to unplayable conditions at Xavier Soccer Complex, the match will be contested at Walnut Hills High School.
Due to technological limitations at the alternate site, a live video stream of Saturday's game will not be available. Live stats can be followed at the above link.
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• St. John's enters the weekend on the heels of a 1-1 draw with No. 10/14 Creighton at home on Oct. 1, the team's best result against a ranked opponent since a 1-0 win over No. 5 Georgetown on Nov. 2, 2013. The tie also marked the first time in four tries that the Red Storm had registered a point against the nationally-acclaimed Bluejays in regular season play.
• Following the draw against Creighton, the Red Storm is in the midst of its longest unbeaten streak to start a conference season since the College Cup campaign of 2008. That year, the Red Storm registered a 3-0-1 record in its first four BIG EAST matches, playing No. 3 Notre Dame to a draw and picking up wins over No. 5 Connecticut, No. 22 Providence and Marquette.
• Filippo Ricupati and Andrew Withers were recognized by the conference for their outstanding efforts against Saint Joe's and Creighton, finding spots on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll. Ricupati, a sophomore forward from Milan, registered three goals in those two contests and now ranks fourth in the league with six goals on the season. Despite the fact that the calendar just recently turned to October, Ricupati is now tied for the highest single-season goal total by a St. John's player since 2008, when Nelson Becerra scored eight times and Tafadzwa Chiduku found the back of the net on seven occasions. Withers, a redshirt sophomore from Wellington, New Zealand, registered his fourth solo shutout in just five opportunities on Tuesday against the Hawks before making a season-high five saves and limiting the high-flying Creighton offense to just one tally on Saturday. Coming into the game, the Bluejays had been averaging more than two goals per contest.
SCOUTING XAVIER
• The Musketeers enter the weekend following a 1-0 win over Cleveland State on Tuesday night, bumping their record to 5-3-2 on the season with a 2-1-0 mark in conference action.
• Prior to a 2-1 defeat on the road at Providence on Saturday, Xavier had been receiving votes in the NSCAA Coaches Poll.
• Senior Jalen Brown and freshman Derrick Otom lead the Musketeers up front with three goals apiece on the season, while three different goalkeepers have earned starts between the pipes. Colin Hanley has gotten the nod in net for each of Xavier's last five games, compiling a 3-2-0 record with all three of his wins coming by way of a clean sheet.
ST. JOHN'S VS. XAVIER- THE SERIES
• St. John's and Xavier have played each other on four occasions in the history of the two programs, with three of those meetings coming after the Musketeers joined the conference prior to the start of the 2013 season.
• Before becoming BIG EAST foes, the Red Storm and Musketeers met once back in 1989, a 1-0 win for the Johnnies at home.
• Since 2013, the Red Storm is 0-2-1 against Xavier, with the tie coming in scoreless fashion last year at Belson Stadium.
