St. John's University Athletics
Johnnies to Welcome Creighton for BIG EAST Championship Opener
11/2/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
QUEENS, N.Y. - The quest for a league record 10th BIG EAST Conference title will begin for the St. John's men's soccer team on Saturday night at Belson Stadium, as the no. 3 seeded Red Storm will welcome the no. 6 seeded Creighton Bluejays for a 6 p.m. contest.
With a mark of 5-2-2 during league action this season, the Red Storm (8-6-3) turned in its best effort in conference play since 2009. That year, fresh off an appearance in the 2008 College Cup, the Johnnies tallied a 6-1-4 record against BIG EAST opponents before claiming their eighth conference crown.
Since the league began sponsoring men's soccer in 1982, no program has been able to rival the success of St. John's in postseason play. The Johnnies have claimed a conference record nine BIG EAST Tournament titles, five more than Seton Hall in second place among current league members and two more than Connecticut in second place among all-time members. In 54 BIG EAST Tournament games scattered across 25 seasons, the Red Storm sports a 34-16-4 record all-time, good enough for the highest winning percentage (.667) among teams with at least four appearances.
The Red Storm enters the postseason riding a four-game unbeaten streak, a tear that has seen the Johnnies earn positive results against the likes of Georgetown, Villanova, Providence and DePaul. The Red Storm has been anchored by its defensive core over that stretch, having surrendered just one goal in over 390 minutes of action. Since the DePaul match on Oct. 21, redshirt junior goalkeeper Andrew Withers has tallied three clean sheets to go along with a 0.23 goals against average and a .944 save percentage. On the season, Withers ranks fifth in all of Division I with an .855 save percentage, while his eight shutouts and 0.62 goals against average rank 10th and 13th, respectively.
On Wednesday night against Providence, Withers made six saves for the Red Storm, including five in a first half that saw him register a number of acrobatic stops. For his efforts, Withers was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for fourth time this season. In addition to his quartet of honor roll nods, Withers also earned BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week accolades on one occasion in 2017.
Creighton enters the postseason with a record of 9-6-2, including a 3-4-2 mark in BIG EAST action. Ranked as high as no. 14 in the United Soccer Coaches poll this season, the Bluejays are led by senior Ricky Lopez-Espin, the conference's top goal scorer with 11 tallies on the campaign. On the defensive end, fifth-year senior Michael Kluver has started all but one game between the pipes for Creighton, compiling a goals against average of 1.18 to go along with a .743 save percentage.
The Bluejays and the Red Storm will meet for the ninth time in the history of the two programs, a vibrant series history that includes many great postseason battles. Before becoming BIG EAST foes in 2013, St. John's and Creighton met three times in the NCAA Tournament between 1996-2003, including wins for the Red Storm in the 1996 national semifinals and the 2003 national quarterfinals. St. John's is 2-4-2 all-time against Creighton and has played the Bluejays to a draw in each of their last two meetings.
