St. John's University Athletics
Friday, September 20
Queens, N.Y. (Belson Stadium)
7 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
No. 19 Xavier
No. 9 St. John’s to Welcome No. 19 Xavier for BIG EAST Opener
9/19/2019 1:17:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Johnnies will look to extend best start in school history against the Musketeers
QUEENS, N.Y. (Sept. 19, 2019) – Off to its best start in program history and ranked inside the top 10 for the first time in six years, the No. 9 St. John's men's soccer team will kick off BIG EAST play when it hosts No. 19 Xavier on Friday night at Belson Stadium.
The contest will air live on the BIG EAST Digital Network with Mike Watts and John Fanta on the call. BEDN can be accessed through a number of different sources, including YouTube, Twitter and Caffeine.
Standing at 6-0-0 for the first time in program history and one of just 10 teams with a perfect winning percentage remaining in Division I, the Johnnies jumped 10 spots in the United Soccer Coaches poll following a seven-day stretch that featured wins over Iona, Penn and Columbia. In those three wins, the Red Storm scored nine goals while allowing just three. Receiving its latest ranking on Tuesday afternoon, St. John's cracked the top 10 for the first time in exactly six years, as the team sat at no. 7 on Sept. 17, 2013, following wins over South Carolina and West Virginia. The last showdown between ranked opponents at Belson Stadium occurred the following weekend, when No. 7 St. John's fell to No. 5 Creighton, 1-0, in double overtime.
Prior to this season, St. John's had only begun a season with five straight wins on one occasion, as the 1995 team started 5-0-0 en route to its fourth straight BIG EAST Championship. While six stands as the longest winning streak in program history to start a campaign, the Red Storm has enjoyed numerous lengthy unbeaten streaks in its past. St. John's has started a season with an unbeaten streak of eight games or more eight times, most recently doing so in 2012 (5-0-3). The program record for the longest unbeaten streak to start as season is 21, as the 1993 team did not suffer a loss until the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
In its most recent outing against Columbia, St. John's poured in five goals, all of which came in the second half. St. John's had last scored five goals in a regular season game on Nov. 8, 2013, when the Johnnies defeated local rival Seton Hall, 5-0, in South Orange. The Red Storm had not scored five goals in one half since Sept. 29, 2001, when the Johnnies struck five times in the opening 45 minutes during a 5-0 win over Villanova at DaSilva Memorial Field. The Red Storm would go on to appear in its second College Cup later that fall.
Since regular season BIG EAST play began in 1985, the Red Storm owns a 19-9-6 in conference openers. The Johnnies are undefeated in each of their last four BIG EAST debuts, beating Seton Hall, 1-0, in 2017 and 2018 after playing scoreless ties with Marquette in 2015 and 2016. St. John's, which has won a league record nine conference tournaments in addition to six BIG EAST Regular Season Championship, owns a 168-81-51 (.645) all-time record in league play, including a 157-67-48 (.665) mark under the direction of Dr. Dave Masur.
Xavier comes to Queens following its first loss of the season, falling in double overtime to Memphis in Cincinnati on Saturday night. Prior to a 2-2 draw against then-No. 17 Kentucky in Lexington a few days prior, the Musketeers won each of their first three games. Xavier started the season by topping then-No. 3 Akron at home before downing Eastern Illinois and crosstown rival Cincinnati.
Redshirt senior forward Samson Sergi leads both the team and the conference in scoring, having found the back of the net five times in as many games this season. The 2018 BIG EAST All-Second Team selection has scored in every Xavier game except the Kentucky draw.
Freshman forward Karsen Henderlong ranks second on the squad with three goals, etching his name of the scoresheet against premier opponents in Akron, Cincinnati and Kentucky. Senior midfielder Derrick Otom, the only other Xavier player to record multiple goals so far in 2019, has two goals and an assist in the team's last two outings.
UCF transfer Matthew Rosenberg has played every minute between the pipes this season for Xavier, leading the BIG EAST with 5.2 saves per game. He has recorded two of his three victories by shutout and sports an .812 save percentage entering Friday's match.
St. John's and Xavier will meet for the eighth time in the history of the two programs when the teams square off at Belson Stadium. The Red Storm currently holds a 2-3-2 record all-time against the Musketeers.
Xavier holds a 3-1-2 advantage over the Johnnies as BIG EAST foes, earning a pair of one-goal victories in 2013 and 2014 and a 2-0 win in 2016. St. John's has come away with a result in each of its last two meetings with Xavier, playing the Musketeers to a 1-1 tie in Cincinnati last year after defeating Xavier, 3-0, in a lopsided affair at Belson Stadium in 2017.
The contest will air live on the BIG EAST Digital Network with Mike Watts and John Fanta on the call. BEDN can be accessed through a number of different sources, including YouTube, Twitter and Caffeine.
Standing at 6-0-0 for the first time in program history and one of just 10 teams with a perfect winning percentage remaining in Division I, the Johnnies jumped 10 spots in the United Soccer Coaches poll following a seven-day stretch that featured wins over Iona, Penn and Columbia. In those three wins, the Red Storm scored nine goals while allowing just three. Receiving its latest ranking on Tuesday afternoon, St. John's cracked the top 10 for the first time in exactly six years, as the team sat at no. 7 on Sept. 17, 2013, following wins over South Carolina and West Virginia. The last showdown between ranked opponents at Belson Stadium occurred the following weekend, when No. 7 St. John's fell to No. 5 Creighton, 1-0, in double overtime.
Prior to this season, St. John's had only begun a season with five straight wins on one occasion, as the 1995 team started 5-0-0 en route to its fourth straight BIG EAST Championship. While six stands as the longest winning streak in program history to start a campaign, the Red Storm has enjoyed numerous lengthy unbeaten streaks in its past. St. John's has started a season with an unbeaten streak of eight games or more eight times, most recently doing so in 2012 (5-0-3). The program record for the longest unbeaten streak to start as season is 21, as the 1993 team did not suffer a loss until the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
In its most recent outing against Columbia, St. John's poured in five goals, all of which came in the second half. St. John's had last scored five goals in a regular season game on Nov. 8, 2013, when the Johnnies defeated local rival Seton Hall, 5-0, in South Orange. The Red Storm had not scored five goals in one half since Sept. 29, 2001, when the Johnnies struck five times in the opening 45 minutes during a 5-0 win over Villanova at DaSilva Memorial Field. The Red Storm would go on to appear in its second College Cup later that fall.
Since regular season BIG EAST play began in 1985, the Red Storm owns a 19-9-6 in conference openers. The Johnnies are undefeated in each of their last four BIG EAST debuts, beating Seton Hall, 1-0, in 2017 and 2018 after playing scoreless ties with Marquette in 2015 and 2016. St. John's, which has won a league record nine conference tournaments in addition to six BIG EAST Regular Season Championship, owns a 168-81-51 (.645) all-time record in league play, including a 157-67-48 (.665) mark under the direction of Dr. Dave Masur.
Xavier comes to Queens following its first loss of the season, falling in double overtime to Memphis in Cincinnati on Saturday night. Prior to a 2-2 draw against then-No. 17 Kentucky in Lexington a few days prior, the Musketeers won each of their first three games. Xavier started the season by topping then-No. 3 Akron at home before downing Eastern Illinois and crosstown rival Cincinnati.
Redshirt senior forward Samson Sergi leads both the team and the conference in scoring, having found the back of the net five times in as many games this season. The 2018 BIG EAST All-Second Team selection has scored in every Xavier game except the Kentucky draw.
Freshman forward Karsen Henderlong ranks second on the squad with three goals, etching his name of the scoresheet against premier opponents in Akron, Cincinnati and Kentucky. Senior midfielder Derrick Otom, the only other Xavier player to record multiple goals so far in 2019, has two goals and an assist in the team's last two outings.
UCF transfer Matthew Rosenberg has played every minute between the pipes this season for Xavier, leading the BIG EAST with 5.2 saves per game. He has recorded two of his three victories by shutout and sports an .812 save percentage entering Friday's match.
St. John's and Xavier will meet for the eighth time in the history of the two programs when the teams square off at Belson Stadium. The Red Storm currently holds a 2-3-2 record all-time against the Musketeers.
Xavier holds a 3-1-2 advantage over the Johnnies as BIG EAST foes, earning a pair of one-goal victories in 2013 and 2014 and a 2-0 win in 2016. St. John's has come away with a result in each of its last two meetings with Xavier, playing the Musketeers to a 1-1 tie in Cincinnati last year after defeating Xavier, 3-0, in a lopsided affair at Belson Stadium in 2017.
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