St. John's University Athletics
Saturday, September 28
Indianapolis, Ind. (Sellick Bowl)
7 p.m.
St. John's University
at
Butler
No. 9 St. John’s Resumes BIG EAST Play at Butler on Saturday
9/27/2019 12:47:00 PM | Men's Soccer
St. John’s will look to start BIG EAST play 2-0-0 for the second time in three years
QUEENS, N.Y. (Sept. 27, 2019) – After suffering its first loss of the season at the hands of the defending national champions on Monday night, the No. 9 St. John's men's soccer team will resume BIG EAST play on Saturday in Indianapolis, taking on a red-hot Butler team at the Sellick Bowl.
The contest, which is slated to kick off at 7 p.m., will be broadcast on Butler's YouTube page at www.YouTube.com/ButlerAthletics.
The Red Storm's Monday loss to No. 25 Maryland snapped a seven-game winning streak to start the season, the longest of its kind in the in the 41-year history of the program. Prior to 2019, St. John's had never begun a campaign with more than five consecutive wins. Included in that streak were a come-from-behind with over No. 19 Xavier and road wins over N.C. State, Appalachian State and Columbia. Despite the loss, St. John's held steady at no. 9 in the Tuesday edition of the United Soccer Coaches poll. The Johnnies also rank ninth nationally according to Top Drawer Soccer and Soccer America.
Despite being shutout for the first time this season in College Park, the Red Storm still enters Saturday's contest with one of the BIG EAST's most productive offenses. The Johnnies' 18 goals through eight games are second only to that of No. 2 Georgetown, which has found the back of the net 19 times in seven contests. Last season, the Johnnies scored just nine times in their first eight games and only 18 times all season. Through games played on Thursday, the Red Storm's 2.25 goal-per-game scoring average ranks 17th in Division I. The 2019 Johnnies have scored more goals through eight games than any St. John's team since 2010, when the Red Storm found the back of the net 19 times over that same span.
For his efforts in the team's most recent wins over Columbia and No. 19 Xavier, Niko Petridis was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. The senior midfielder tallied a goal and an assist in the team's 5-1 win over the Lions before scoring twice and adding another assist last Friday night against the Musketeers. Before this season, no St. John's player had registered five points in a single game since Sebastian Alvarado-Ralph in September of 2005. So far this year, both Petridis and Einar Lye have accomplished the feat. On the season, Petridis paces the Red Storm in goals (4) and is tied for the team lead in assists (3).
St. John's will look to start BIG EAST play 2-0-0 for the second time in the span of three years, as the Johnnies opened the 2017 campaign with wins over Seton Hall and Xavier. That season, the Red Storm went on to finish conference action 5-2-2, earn the three seed in the BIG EAST Tournament and advance to the semifinals for the first time since last winning the championship in 2011.
St. John's will mark the third straight top 10 opponent for Butler (4-3-0, 0-1-0 BIG EAST), who opened conference play with a 3-0 loss to No. 3 Georgetown on Sept. 20 before topping No. 5 Indiana, 2-1, on Tuesday. Both of those matches took place at the Sellick Bowl, where the Bulldogs are 4-1 this season.
Senior forward Brandon Guhl has scored a team-high four goals so far this season, including the opening marker of Tuesday's marquee victory over the Hoosiers. Guhl, who was named the BIG EAST Co-Offensive Player of the Year in 2017 after leading the Bulldogs to a regular season championship and a third round appearance in the NCAA Tournament, is one of two Butler players alongside Wilmer Cabrera Jr. to register multiple goals this season. Jack Haywood, a sophomore forward from Nottingham, England, leads the team and ranks second in the BIG EAST with four assists on the campaign.
Gabriel Gjergi has played every minute for Butler between the pipes this season, turning in a 1.25 goals against average to go along with a .775 save percentage. The sophomore keeper from Vizenza, Itlay, has recorded two shutouts, including a 1-0 victory over Wisconsin on Sept. 12.
St. John's and Butler will meet for 11th time in the history of the two programs on Saturday evening with the Johnnies holding a 7-2-1 edge all-time over the Bulldogs.
St. John's and Butler have traded wins over the last four seasons, as the Red Storm picked up victories at Belson Stadium in 2018 and 2016 while the Bulldogs protected their home turf in 2017 and 2015.
The Red Storm and the Bulldogs played four times at neutral sites before becoming conference foes in 2013, a stretch that saw St. John's go 3-0-1. The Johnnies hold a 4-2-0 edge over Butler as league opponents beginning with a 2013 win in Indianapolis, their lone road win in the series history.
The contest, which is slated to kick off at 7 p.m., will be broadcast on Butler's YouTube page at www.YouTube.com/ButlerAthletics.
The Red Storm's Monday loss to No. 25 Maryland snapped a seven-game winning streak to start the season, the longest of its kind in the in the 41-year history of the program. Prior to 2019, St. John's had never begun a campaign with more than five consecutive wins. Included in that streak were a come-from-behind with over No. 19 Xavier and road wins over N.C. State, Appalachian State and Columbia. Despite the loss, St. John's held steady at no. 9 in the Tuesday edition of the United Soccer Coaches poll. The Johnnies also rank ninth nationally according to Top Drawer Soccer and Soccer America.
Despite being shutout for the first time this season in College Park, the Red Storm still enters Saturday's contest with one of the BIG EAST's most productive offenses. The Johnnies' 18 goals through eight games are second only to that of No. 2 Georgetown, which has found the back of the net 19 times in seven contests. Last season, the Johnnies scored just nine times in their first eight games and only 18 times all season. Through games played on Thursday, the Red Storm's 2.25 goal-per-game scoring average ranks 17th in Division I. The 2019 Johnnies have scored more goals through eight games than any St. John's team since 2010, when the Red Storm found the back of the net 19 times over that same span.
For his efforts in the team's most recent wins over Columbia and No. 19 Xavier, Niko Petridis was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. The senior midfielder tallied a goal and an assist in the team's 5-1 win over the Lions before scoring twice and adding another assist last Friday night against the Musketeers. Before this season, no St. John's player had registered five points in a single game since Sebastian Alvarado-Ralph in September of 2005. So far this year, both Petridis and Einar Lye have accomplished the feat. On the season, Petridis paces the Red Storm in goals (4) and is tied for the team lead in assists (3).
St. John's will look to start BIG EAST play 2-0-0 for the second time in the span of three years, as the Johnnies opened the 2017 campaign with wins over Seton Hall and Xavier. That season, the Red Storm went on to finish conference action 5-2-2, earn the three seed in the BIG EAST Tournament and advance to the semifinals for the first time since last winning the championship in 2011.
St. John's will mark the third straight top 10 opponent for Butler (4-3-0, 0-1-0 BIG EAST), who opened conference play with a 3-0 loss to No. 3 Georgetown on Sept. 20 before topping No. 5 Indiana, 2-1, on Tuesday. Both of those matches took place at the Sellick Bowl, where the Bulldogs are 4-1 this season.
Senior forward Brandon Guhl has scored a team-high four goals so far this season, including the opening marker of Tuesday's marquee victory over the Hoosiers. Guhl, who was named the BIG EAST Co-Offensive Player of the Year in 2017 after leading the Bulldogs to a regular season championship and a third round appearance in the NCAA Tournament, is one of two Butler players alongside Wilmer Cabrera Jr. to register multiple goals this season. Jack Haywood, a sophomore forward from Nottingham, England, leads the team and ranks second in the BIG EAST with four assists on the campaign.
Gabriel Gjergi has played every minute for Butler between the pipes this season, turning in a 1.25 goals against average to go along with a .775 save percentage. The sophomore keeper from Vizenza, Itlay, has recorded two shutouts, including a 1-0 victory over Wisconsin on Sept. 12.
St. John's and Butler will meet for 11th time in the history of the two programs on Saturday evening with the Johnnies holding a 7-2-1 edge all-time over the Bulldogs.
St. John's and Butler have traded wins over the last four seasons, as the Red Storm picked up victories at Belson Stadium in 2018 and 2016 while the Bulldogs protected their home turf in 2017 and 2015.
The Red Storm and the Bulldogs played four times at neutral sites before becoming conference foes in 2013, a stretch that saw St. John's go 3-0-1. The Johnnies hold a 4-2-0 edge over Butler as league opponents beginning with a 2013 win in Indianapolis, their lone road win in the series history.
Players Mentioned
Midfielder
/ Men's SoccerSt. John's MSOC vs Seton Hall Highlights 11.9.24
Saturday, November 09
Men's Soccer vs Georgetown Highlights 11.2.2024
Saturday, November 02
MSOC vs DePaul Highlights 10.12.2024
Saturday, October 12
MSOC vs Villanova Highlights 9.28.24
Saturday, September 28