St. John's University Athletics
Saturday, November 30
Charlottesville, Va. (Klockner Stadium)
7 p.m.
St. John's University
at
No. 1 Virginia
No. 16 St. John’s Heads to No. 1 Virginia for NCAA Round of 16
11/27/2019 11:18:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Red Storm to make first Round of 16 appearance since 2008 on Saturday
QUEENS, N.Y. (Nov. 27, 2019) – After topping former BIG EAST rival Syracuse on Sunday night in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Belson Stadium, the St. John's men's soccer team will look upend the nation's top seed when it travels to Charlottesville for a Saturday night showdown with No. 1 Virginia.
Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. and will air live nationally on ACC Network Extra, available on the ESPN app and WatchESPN.com.
2019 marks the program's 12th appearance all-time in the round of 16 and its first since advancing to the College Cup in 2008. From 1996-2005, the Red Storm recorded 10 consecutive berths in the round of 16, including five appearances in the national quarterfinals, three College Cups, two bids to the national championship game and an NCAA title in 1996. The Johnnies are a national seed for the ninth time in program history, having last received the honor in 2011 after winning their league-record ninth BIG EAST Tournament title.
The Red Storm (14-4-1) has now made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 21 of the past 28 years, all of which have come under the direction of Dr. David Masur. Masur, who boasts an all-time record of 27-19-1 in the NCAA Tournament, has now seen his teams advance in 14 of their last 17 NCAA berths. Saturday night's match will pit two of the most successful coaches in NCAA Soccer against one another, as Masur ranks seventh among active coaches with 422 wins while George Gelnovatch of UVA ranks 12th with 335 career victories. Those career coaching standings are flipped when it comes to winning percentage, as Gelnovatch (.696) ranks seventh while Masur (.676) ranks 12th.
St. John's will look to preserve its unblemished record this year against ACC opponents. The Red Storm picked up a 1-0 double overtime victory at NC State during the opening weekend of the season before topping Syracuse, 2-1, in Sunday's second round match. The ACC and the BIG EAST were the top two conferences in the nation in terms of RPI this season and account for eight of the 16 teams still alive in the tournament.
Sophomores Brandon Knapp and Skage Simonsen found the back of the net for the Johnnies during their second round victory over Syracuse. Knapp, who was selected to the All-BIG EAST Third Team, and Simonsen, a Second Team All-BIG EAST honoree, scored for the fourth and third time, respectively, this season. The Red Storm's sophomore class has now accounted for 27 of the team's 38 goals on the year.
The Johnnies have been one of the nation's top squads on both ends of the field this season. Entering the third round, the Red Storm's 2.00 goals per game scoring average ranks 25th while the team's 0.82 goals against average is good enough for 20th. Individually, junior keeper Jan Hoffelner, the BIG EAST Co-Goalkeeper of the Year, ranks fifth nationally in goals against average (0.57) and sixth in save percentage (.829). Tani Oluwaseyi, the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, ranks 25th in total goals (11) and 27th in total points (27).
Virginia hosts its third round match on the heels of a 2-0 victory over Campbell in its NCAA Tournament opener. The Cavaliers boast the nation's best winning percentage, carrying a record of 18-1-1 into Saturday night's matchup.
The Hoos can attribute their success in large part to their ability to keep opponents off the score sheet. Led by redshirt junior Colin Shutler, who has played every minute between the pipes this season, Virginia sports the nation's top goals against average, allowing just 0.34 opposing markers per game. In addition to leading in GAA, Shutler also tops Division I in save percentage, turning aside 87.3 percent of the shots on goal that he has faced. 14 of Virginia's 18 wins have come by way of a clean sheet.
Offensively, the Cavaliers are averaging just under two goals per game and are led by sophomore forward Daryl Dike. A native of Edmond, Okla., Dike tops the team in both goals and assists with seven apiece on the year. Junior forward Nathaniel Crofts scored a goal and assisted on another in Virginia's second round win over Campbell. Spencer Patton, a junior defender from Morrisville, Pa., tallied the team's other goal against the Camels.
St. John's and Virginia will meet for the eighth time in the history of the two programs when they square off on Saturday night at Klockner Stadium. The Cavaliers own a 6-1-0 advantage all-time over the Red Storm and have won each of the last three meetings between the teams.
The Red Storm's lone victory in the series came in 2008, a 1-0 victory to open a campaign that ended with the Johnnies' fourth appearance in the College Cup.
St. John's and Virginia have twice met in the NCAA Tournament with both of those contests going to the Cavaliers. In 2013, the Johnnies fell by a score of 2-0 in the second round 13 years after the Hoos topped the Red Storm in the round of 16, 2-1, in 2000.
Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. and will air live nationally on ACC Network Extra, available on the ESPN app and WatchESPN.com.
2019 marks the program's 12th appearance all-time in the round of 16 and its first since advancing to the College Cup in 2008. From 1996-2005, the Red Storm recorded 10 consecutive berths in the round of 16, including five appearances in the national quarterfinals, three College Cups, two bids to the national championship game and an NCAA title in 1996. The Johnnies are a national seed for the ninth time in program history, having last received the honor in 2011 after winning their league-record ninth BIG EAST Tournament title.
The Red Storm (14-4-1) has now made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 21 of the past 28 years, all of which have come under the direction of Dr. David Masur. Masur, who boasts an all-time record of 27-19-1 in the NCAA Tournament, has now seen his teams advance in 14 of their last 17 NCAA berths. Saturday night's match will pit two of the most successful coaches in NCAA Soccer against one another, as Masur ranks seventh among active coaches with 422 wins while George Gelnovatch of UVA ranks 12th with 335 career victories. Those career coaching standings are flipped when it comes to winning percentage, as Gelnovatch (.696) ranks seventh while Masur (.676) ranks 12th.
St. John's will look to preserve its unblemished record this year against ACC opponents. The Red Storm picked up a 1-0 double overtime victory at NC State during the opening weekend of the season before topping Syracuse, 2-1, in Sunday's second round match. The ACC and the BIG EAST were the top two conferences in the nation in terms of RPI this season and account for eight of the 16 teams still alive in the tournament.
Sophomores Brandon Knapp and Skage Simonsen found the back of the net for the Johnnies during their second round victory over Syracuse. Knapp, who was selected to the All-BIG EAST Third Team, and Simonsen, a Second Team All-BIG EAST honoree, scored for the fourth and third time, respectively, this season. The Red Storm's sophomore class has now accounted for 27 of the team's 38 goals on the year.
The Johnnies have been one of the nation's top squads on both ends of the field this season. Entering the third round, the Red Storm's 2.00 goals per game scoring average ranks 25th while the team's 0.82 goals against average is good enough for 20th. Individually, junior keeper Jan Hoffelner, the BIG EAST Co-Goalkeeper of the Year, ranks fifth nationally in goals against average (0.57) and sixth in save percentage (.829). Tani Oluwaseyi, the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, ranks 25th in total goals (11) and 27th in total points (27).
Virginia hosts its third round match on the heels of a 2-0 victory over Campbell in its NCAA Tournament opener. The Cavaliers boast the nation's best winning percentage, carrying a record of 18-1-1 into Saturday night's matchup.
The Hoos can attribute their success in large part to their ability to keep opponents off the score sheet. Led by redshirt junior Colin Shutler, who has played every minute between the pipes this season, Virginia sports the nation's top goals against average, allowing just 0.34 opposing markers per game. In addition to leading in GAA, Shutler also tops Division I in save percentage, turning aside 87.3 percent of the shots on goal that he has faced. 14 of Virginia's 18 wins have come by way of a clean sheet.
Offensively, the Cavaliers are averaging just under two goals per game and are led by sophomore forward Daryl Dike. A native of Edmond, Okla., Dike tops the team in both goals and assists with seven apiece on the year. Junior forward Nathaniel Crofts scored a goal and assisted on another in Virginia's second round win over Campbell. Spencer Patton, a junior defender from Morrisville, Pa., tallied the team's other goal against the Camels.
St. John's and Virginia will meet for the eighth time in the history of the two programs when they square off on Saturday night at Klockner Stadium. The Cavaliers own a 6-1-0 advantage all-time over the Red Storm and have won each of the last three meetings between the teams.
The Red Storm's lone victory in the series came in 2008, a 1-0 victory to open a campaign that ended with the Johnnies' fourth appearance in the College Cup.
St. John's and Virginia have twice met in the NCAA Tournament with both of those contests going to the Cavaliers. In 2013, the Johnnies fell by a score of 2-0 in the second round 13 years after the Hoos topped the Red Storm in the round of 16, 2-1, in 2000.
Players Mentioned
GK
/ Men's Soccer
Midfielder/Defender
/ Men's Soccer
Forward/Midfielder
/ Men's Soccer
Midfielder
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