St. John's University Athletics
Wednesday, October 23
Queens, N.Y. (Belson Stadium)
7 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
No. 7 Georgetown
No. 4 St. John’s Meets No. 7 Georgetown in Battle of RPI Top Two
10/22/2019 4:05:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Nation’s top two RPI teams fight to stay undefeated in BIG EAST play
QUEENS, N.Y. (Oct. 22, 2019) – The top two teams in the NCAA RPI will do battle at Belson Stadium on Wednesday night when No. 4 St. John's takes on No. 7 Georgetown. The fight for first place in the BIG EAST standings is set to kick off at 7 p.m. on the BIG EAST Digital Network. Drew Casey, John Fanta and Meghan Caffrey will have the call from Queens.
The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a St. John's Soccer scarf courtesy of Main Street Radiology. St. John's will also once again host an 1870 Court just outside the stadium gates prior to kick-off. At 1870 Court, alumni and supporters of the program can come together and enjoy each other's company along with a cash bar.
The Red Storm rose one spot to no. 1 in the NCAA's latest release of the RPI on Monday following a 2-0 win over Creighton in Omaha to stay perfect in conference play. Georgetown climbed three places to no. 2 after defeating Maryland and Xavier last week. Tuesday's release of the United Soccer Coaches poll saw St. John's jump three spots to no. 4 and Georgetown improve to no. 7 from its no. 13 rankings a week ago.
Wednesday night's contest will be the first between top 10 teams at Belson Stadium since Sept. 26, 2008, when the No. 4 Red Storm took down No. 5 Connecticut, 3-1. St. John's would go on to register its fourth College Cup appearance that season. St. John's was last ranked no. 4 or higher on Sept. 8, 2009.
The Johnnies have won each of their first five league games for the first time since the 2003 squad did so during a season that featured a BIG EAST Regular Season Championship and a national runner-up finish. The only St. John's team to win six or more games to kick off league play did so in 1992 during Dr. Dave Masur's second season at the helm of the program. That 1992 squad went 8-0-0 during conference play and is one of only three BIG EAST teams since 1990 to go perfect in league action alongside Georgetown in 2015 and Louisville in 2010. Overall, the Red Storm has won 12 of its first 13 games for the first time since 1993, when the Johnnies won 13 of their first 14 matches in the midst of a 21-game unbeaten streak to start the year.
The Red Storm's 2-0 blanking of Creighton marked the team's fifth consecutive clean sheet, the longest such streak by a St. John's team since the 2011 BIG EAST Champions rattled off six straight during September of that season. Jan Hoffelner and Luka Gavran have combined to tally nine clean sheets in just 13 opportunities this season for the Red Storm, good enough for the nation's second highest shutout percentage (.692). The last St. John's team to register more than nine clean sheets in a season was that 2011 squad, which tallied 11 shutouts en route to a 14-7-2 finish and the program's ninth BIG EAST title.
Tani Oluwaseyi scored his league leading eighth goal of the season in the Red Storm's 2-0 win over Creighton. The sophomore from Mississauga, Ont., has become the first St. John's player to record eight or more goals in a single season since Nelson Becerra found the back of the net eight times during the College Cup campaign of 2008. Five of Oluwaseyi's eight goals have been game-winner, a total that is tied for the national lead in the category through games played on Sunday.
Much like their hosts on Wednesday, Georgetown has proven to be one of the nation's top defenses all season long, as both the Red Storm and the Hoyas have allowed just five apiece goals in 13 games. Georgetown ranks second nationally over the Red Storm in goals against average by one one-thousandth of a point, surrendering 0.373 goals per 90 minutes compared to the Red Storm's 0.374. Just because the two teams excel at keeping opponents off the board does not mean they have offensive troubles of their own. Through games played on Monday, St. John's ranks 12th nationally in scoring offense with 2.31 goals per game while Georgetown currently sits 26th with 2.08 goals per contest.
Wednesday's match will feature five of the league's top nine point getters. Junior forward Derek Dodson's 13 points on four goals and five assists are tied for second in the league while junior midfielder Jacob Montes is tied fourth with 12 points on six goals. On the St. John's side, Oluwaseyi (eight goals, three assists) leads the BIG EAST with 19 points while Einar Lye and Niko Petridis are both tied for fourth in the league with 12 points on four goals and four assists.
Similar to the Red Storm, the Hoyas have employed a two-keeper system throughout the season. Sophomore Giannis Nikopolidis started Georgetown's last match, shutting out Xavier for his third clean sheet of the year. Tomas Romero, a freshman from Cherry Hill, N.J., has picked up four clean sheets in six starts, including a two-save shutout in the Hoyas' win at defending national champion Maryland this past week.
St. John's and Georgetown will meet for the 36th time in the history of the two programs when they square off on Wednesday night. The Red Storm currently holds a 23-9-3 edge in a series history that dates back to 1985.
St. John's will look to continue a trend of successful regular season play against the Hoyas, as the Johnnies have earned 1-0 victories over nationally ranked Georgetown teams each of the past two Octobers. In 2017, David Enstrom headed home a 31st minute goal on Senior Night to top No. 10 Georgetown, secure a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament and give Masur his 400th career head coaching victory. Last year, another first half goal, this time off the foot of Skage Simonsen, propelled the Johnnies to a 1-0 win over the No. 24 Hoyas in Washington.
In 2013, a 1-0 win over No. 5 Georgetown at Belson Stadium helped the Red Storm secure a berth in the NCAA Tournament, as the Johnnies held the Hoyas at bay despite playing more than half the game with 10 men.
The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a St. John's Soccer scarf courtesy of Main Street Radiology. St. John's will also once again host an 1870 Court just outside the stadium gates prior to kick-off. At 1870 Court, alumni and supporters of the program can come together and enjoy each other's company along with a cash bar.
The Red Storm rose one spot to no. 1 in the NCAA's latest release of the RPI on Monday following a 2-0 win over Creighton in Omaha to stay perfect in conference play. Georgetown climbed three places to no. 2 after defeating Maryland and Xavier last week. Tuesday's release of the United Soccer Coaches poll saw St. John's jump three spots to no. 4 and Georgetown improve to no. 7 from its no. 13 rankings a week ago.
Wednesday night's contest will be the first between top 10 teams at Belson Stadium since Sept. 26, 2008, when the No. 4 Red Storm took down No. 5 Connecticut, 3-1. St. John's would go on to register its fourth College Cup appearance that season. St. John's was last ranked no. 4 or higher on Sept. 8, 2009.
The Johnnies have won each of their first five league games for the first time since the 2003 squad did so during a season that featured a BIG EAST Regular Season Championship and a national runner-up finish. The only St. John's team to win six or more games to kick off league play did so in 1992 during Dr. Dave Masur's second season at the helm of the program. That 1992 squad went 8-0-0 during conference play and is one of only three BIG EAST teams since 1990 to go perfect in league action alongside Georgetown in 2015 and Louisville in 2010. Overall, the Red Storm has won 12 of its first 13 games for the first time since 1993, when the Johnnies won 13 of their first 14 matches in the midst of a 21-game unbeaten streak to start the year.
The Red Storm's 2-0 blanking of Creighton marked the team's fifth consecutive clean sheet, the longest such streak by a St. John's team since the 2011 BIG EAST Champions rattled off six straight during September of that season. Jan Hoffelner and Luka Gavran have combined to tally nine clean sheets in just 13 opportunities this season for the Red Storm, good enough for the nation's second highest shutout percentage (.692). The last St. John's team to register more than nine clean sheets in a season was that 2011 squad, which tallied 11 shutouts en route to a 14-7-2 finish and the program's ninth BIG EAST title.
Tani Oluwaseyi scored his league leading eighth goal of the season in the Red Storm's 2-0 win over Creighton. The sophomore from Mississauga, Ont., has become the first St. John's player to record eight or more goals in a single season since Nelson Becerra found the back of the net eight times during the College Cup campaign of 2008. Five of Oluwaseyi's eight goals have been game-winner, a total that is tied for the national lead in the category through games played on Sunday.
Much like their hosts on Wednesday, Georgetown has proven to be one of the nation's top defenses all season long, as both the Red Storm and the Hoyas have allowed just five apiece goals in 13 games. Georgetown ranks second nationally over the Red Storm in goals against average by one one-thousandth of a point, surrendering 0.373 goals per 90 minutes compared to the Red Storm's 0.374. Just because the two teams excel at keeping opponents off the board does not mean they have offensive troubles of their own. Through games played on Monday, St. John's ranks 12th nationally in scoring offense with 2.31 goals per game while Georgetown currently sits 26th with 2.08 goals per contest.
Wednesday's match will feature five of the league's top nine point getters. Junior forward Derek Dodson's 13 points on four goals and five assists are tied for second in the league while junior midfielder Jacob Montes is tied fourth with 12 points on six goals. On the St. John's side, Oluwaseyi (eight goals, three assists) leads the BIG EAST with 19 points while Einar Lye and Niko Petridis are both tied for fourth in the league with 12 points on four goals and four assists.
Similar to the Red Storm, the Hoyas have employed a two-keeper system throughout the season. Sophomore Giannis Nikopolidis started Georgetown's last match, shutting out Xavier for his third clean sheet of the year. Tomas Romero, a freshman from Cherry Hill, N.J., has picked up four clean sheets in six starts, including a two-save shutout in the Hoyas' win at defending national champion Maryland this past week.
St. John's and Georgetown will meet for the 36th time in the history of the two programs when they square off on Wednesday night. The Red Storm currently holds a 23-9-3 edge in a series history that dates back to 1985.
St. John's will look to continue a trend of successful regular season play against the Hoyas, as the Johnnies have earned 1-0 victories over nationally ranked Georgetown teams each of the past two Octobers. In 2017, David Enstrom headed home a 31st minute goal on Senior Night to top No. 10 Georgetown, secure a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament and give Masur his 400th career head coaching victory. Last year, another first half goal, this time off the foot of Skage Simonsen, propelled the Johnnies to a 1-0 win over the No. 24 Hoyas in Washington.
In 2013, a 1-0 win over No. 5 Georgetown at Belson Stadium helped the Red Storm secure a berth in the NCAA Tournament, as the Johnnies held the Hoyas at bay despite playing more than half the game with 10 men.
Players Mentioned
Goalkeeper
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's Soccer
Forward/Midfielder
/ Men's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Men's Soccer
Midfielder
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