St. John's University Athletics
Wednesday, October 31
Queens, N.Y. (Belson Stadium)
7:00 P.M.
St. John's University
vs
Providence
St. John’s to Welcome Providence on Senior Night
10/30/2018 1:53:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Red Storm will battle for BIG EAST Tournament seeding against the Friars
The St. John's men's soccer team will close out its 2018 regular season on Wednesday night at Belson Stadium, playing host to the Providence Friars. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on the BIG EAST Digital Network with Mike Watts on the call.
The Red Storm and the Friars, both of whom have already secured a spot in the postseason, will have plenty on the line when the two teams kick off in Queens. Three points would give the Johnnies the opportunity to host a home game in the BIG EAST Quarterfinals, as a St. John's win coupled with a Marquette loss or draw would clinch the four seed for the Red Storm. Providence, which has already locked up at least one home game in the BIG EAST Tournament, still has the possibility to clinch a top-two seed and a bye in to the semifinals with a win and either a loss or a draw from Georgetown in their match at No. 14 Creighton.
The Johnnies enter Wednesday's contest on the heels of a signature win at Georgetown, as the Red Storm used a 44th minute marker from Skage Simonsen to down the No. 24 Hoyas at Cooper Field on Saturday afternoon. The victory marked the third ranked win in as many seasons for the Johnnies over a ranked BIG EAST foe, as the Red Storm downed No. 10 Georgetown at home last year after topping No. 11 Butler in 2016.
Simonsen's second game winner of the year was his sixth tally overall on the season, tying him for the team lead in that category with junior Matt Forster. Simonsen, who has found the back of the net four times in BIG EAST play, has already turned in the highest goal total by a St. John's freshman since 2006, when Ryan Soroka registered nine goals and eight assists for the BIG EAST Champion Red Storm. Simonsen and teammate Tani Oluwaseyi form the first pair of St. John's freshmen to score four or more times apiece in the same season since 2004 when Andrei Gotsmanov and Steven Old accomplished the feat. Another freshman, Sanoussi Sangary, picked up his second assist of the year on Simonsen's goal.
Lenny Wilson was named the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week for the second time this month on Monday after leading the Johnnies to four crucial points in two road games. On Wednesday against Villanova, Wilson made a season-high eight saves, allowing just one goal in 110 minutes of action against the Wildcats. Three days later against the No. 24 Hoyas, Wilson stopped all seven shots on goal he faced from the BIG EAST's most potent offensive attack, picking up his fourth shutout of the year.
Five Johnnies will play their final regular season home game on Wednesday night, as Wilson, Ackim Mpofu, Benny Lafortune, Mauricio Rivas and Filippo Ricupati will done the red and white for potentially the last time at Belson Stadium. The five upperclassmen will be honored during a pregame ceremony on the field.
Providence enters the contest following a 1-0 overtime victory against Villanova on Senior Day this past weekend. The Friars currently rank third in the BIG EAST conference standings with a 5-2-1 mark against league foes to go along with their 8-6-2 record overall.
The Friars sport a well-balanced offensive attack with five different players registering at least two goals on the year. Redshirt junior midfielder Tiago Mendonca leads the way with four goals on the campaign.
2016 BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year Colin Miller anchors the Friars between the pipes. The Bel Air, Md., native has recorded a 1.01 goals against average and seven shutouts in 17 appearances so far in 2018. His younger brother, Ryan, is a freshman goalkeeper for the Red Storm.
Providence and St. John's will meet for the 31st time in the history of the two programs on Wednesday night. The Johnnies hold a commanding 20-6-4 advantage in those previous 30 contests, but the Friars have enjoyed success of late, going 4-0-1 in the last five meetings between the two teams. From 1989-2009, the Johnnies went unbeaten against Providence in 23-straight matches, going 20-0-3 over that span.
Last year, the two teams played to a scoreless draw during their regular season finale in Providence.
The Red Storm and the Friars, both of whom have already secured a spot in the postseason, will have plenty on the line when the two teams kick off in Queens. Three points would give the Johnnies the opportunity to host a home game in the BIG EAST Quarterfinals, as a St. John's win coupled with a Marquette loss or draw would clinch the four seed for the Red Storm. Providence, which has already locked up at least one home game in the BIG EAST Tournament, still has the possibility to clinch a top-two seed and a bye in to the semifinals with a win and either a loss or a draw from Georgetown in their match at No. 14 Creighton.
The Johnnies enter Wednesday's contest on the heels of a signature win at Georgetown, as the Red Storm used a 44th minute marker from Skage Simonsen to down the No. 24 Hoyas at Cooper Field on Saturday afternoon. The victory marked the third ranked win in as many seasons for the Johnnies over a ranked BIG EAST foe, as the Red Storm downed No. 10 Georgetown at home last year after topping No. 11 Butler in 2016.
Simonsen's second game winner of the year was his sixth tally overall on the season, tying him for the team lead in that category with junior Matt Forster. Simonsen, who has found the back of the net four times in BIG EAST play, has already turned in the highest goal total by a St. John's freshman since 2006, when Ryan Soroka registered nine goals and eight assists for the BIG EAST Champion Red Storm. Simonsen and teammate Tani Oluwaseyi form the first pair of St. John's freshmen to score four or more times apiece in the same season since 2004 when Andrei Gotsmanov and Steven Old accomplished the feat. Another freshman, Sanoussi Sangary, picked up his second assist of the year on Simonsen's goal.
Lenny Wilson was named the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week for the second time this month on Monday after leading the Johnnies to four crucial points in two road games. On Wednesday against Villanova, Wilson made a season-high eight saves, allowing just one goal in 110 minutes of action against the Wildcats. Three days later against the No. 24 Hoyas, Wilson stopped all seven shots on goal he faced from the BIG EAST's most potent offensive attack, picking up his fourth shutout of the year.
Five Johnnies will play their final regular season home game on Wednesday night, as Wilson, Ackim Mpofu, Benny Lafortune, Mauricio Rivas and Filippo Ricupati will done the red and white for potentially the last time at Belson Stadium. The five upperclassmen will be honored during a pregame ceremony on the field.
Providence enters the contest following a 1-0 overtime victory against Villanova on Senior Day this past weekend. The Friars currently rank third in the BIG EAST conference standings with a 5-2-1 mark against league foes to go along with their 8-6-2 record overall.
The Friars sport a well-balanced offensive attack with five different players registering at least two goals on the year. Redshirt junior midfielder Tiago Mendonca leads the way with four goals on the campaign.
2016 BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year Colin Miller anchors the Friars between the pipes. The Bel Air, Md., native has recorded a 1.01 goals against average and seven shutouts in 17 appearances so far in 2018. His younger brother, Ryan, is a freshman goalkeeper for the Red Storm.
Providence and St. John's will meet for the 31st time in the history of the two programs on Wednesday night. The Johnnies hold a commanding 20-6-4 advantage in those previous 30 contests, but the Friars have enjoyed success of late, going 4-0-1 in the last five meetings between the two teams. From 1989-2009, the Johnnies went unbeaten against Providence in 23-straight matches, going 20-0-3 over that span.
Last year, the two teams played to a scoreless draw during their regular season finale in Providence.
Players Mentioned
Midfielder
/ Men's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Men's Soccer
Midfielder/Defender
/ Men's Soccer
Forward/Midfielder
/ Men's Soccer
Forward
/ Men's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Men's Soccer
Defender
/ Men's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Men's Soccer
Goalkeeper
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