Forster’s Brace Powers St. John’s to 4-1 Victory at Loyola Marymount

Sunday, August 26

Los Angeles, Calif. (Sullivan Field)

7:00 P.M.

St. John's University

1-1

Loyola Marymount

1-1

Team	1	2	Final F
St. John's	2	2	4
LMU	1	0	1

Forster’s Brace Powers St. John’s to 4-1 Victory at Loyola Marymount

8/26/2018 9:42:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Simonsen and Oluwaseyi score their first collegiate goals in decisive win

The St. John's men's soccer team broke through offensively in a big way on Sunday night, topping Loyola Marymount, 4-1, in the final game of the team's season-opening West Coast swing.

The Red Storm four-goal explosion marked the team's best offensive output since the final game of the 2013 regular season, when the Johnnies downed Seton Hall by a score of 5-0 in South Orange.

Matt Forster led the way for the Johnnies on Sunday, scoring the eventual game winner in the ninth minute before adding an insurance marker in the 85th. The effort marked the junior midfielder's first career multi-goal outing.

St. John's saw two promising freshmen register their first collegiate goals, as Skage Simonsen kicked things off in the sixth minute and Tani Oluwaseyi broke the game open with a 78th-minute tally. Oluwaseyi also added an assist on the evening.

Sanoussi Sangary, Jack Shearer and Josiah Crawford also etched their names on the score sheet for the first time this season, assisting on the Red Storm's first, second and third goals of the night, respectively.

St. John's outshot the Lions (1-1) by a 16-4 margin on the game, including a 10-0 advantage in the second half.

Tyron Matuta picked up the win in his collegiate debut, turning aside a pair of LMU shots on target.

The Red Storm needed just one shot to get on the board in the early going, as Simonsen carried out a skillful individual sequence to give St. John's its first goal of the year. Holding the ball near the top of the 18-yard box with his back to the net, the rookie turned and fired, sending one past the keeper and putting the Johnnies on top in the sixth minute.

Less than three minutes later, the Johnnies added another marker, as Forster scored the first of his two goals on the evening. Shearer initiated the action, sending a shot toward the cage that was deflected in front by an LMU defender. The ricochet found its way to a waiting Forster, who punched it in to put the Johnnies on top by a pair.

LMU joined the offensive flurry in the 19th minute, as Francis Avoce converted on a penalty kick to pull the Lions back within one.

St. John's would record several more chances before the conclusion of the first half, but proved unable to capitalize. Perhaps the best opportunity of the late first half came on a Johan Aquilon header following a corner kick, but the try missed just wide.

The Johnnies continued to apply pressure early in the second half, as Simonsen and Brandon Knapp each put an attempt on net that was turned aside by LMU keeper Paul Lewis in the opening two minutes of the period.

With the Red Storm dominating possession, the Johnnies added their first insurance marker in the 78th minute. The play began with a long pass into the offensive zone from Crawford that was corralled by a streaking Oluwaseyi. Without breaking stride, the freshman forward sent a try on net from the top of the box that made its way past Lewis, extending the Red Storm lead back to a pair with less than 13 minutes to play in the contest.

Just seven minutes later, Forster found the back of the net for the second time on the evening, taking a pass from Oluwaseyi before slipping a shot from the right side past the keeper to decisively put the game out of reach.

Seven members of the Red Storm's starting XI were either freshmen or sophomores in their first season of Division I soccer.

St. John's returns to action on Friday, welcoming Fairfield for the team's home opener. Kick-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. Fans unable to make it Belson Stadium can watch the game live on ESPN3, available on WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app.