St. John’s Extends Unbeaten Streak to Seven with 1-1 Draw at UConn

Saturday, October 2

Storrs, Conn. (Morrone Stadium)

7 p.m.

St. John's University

7-2-1, 2-0-1BE

Connecticut

4-3-1, 0-2-1BE

St. John's

UConn

St. John’s Extends Unbeaten Streak to Seven with 1-1 Draw at UConn

10/2/2021 10:30:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Lucas Bartlett scored his third goal of the season for the Red Storm

By: Andrew O'Connell

STORRS, Conn. – In the latest edition of one of college soccer's top rivalries, the St. John's men's soccer team extended its unbeaten streak to seven games with a 1-1 draw against Connecticut at Morrone Stadium on Saturday night.

Lucas Bartlett provided the offense for the Red Storm (7-2-1, 2-0-1 BIG EAST), opening the scoring in the 23rd minute with his third goal of the campaign. Brandon Knapp began the sequence that led to the Bartlett goal, picking up his team-leading fifth assist in the process.

Luka Gavran, who had not allowed a goal since Sept. 10, saw his shutout streak come to an end less than two minutes after Bartlett's go-ahead tally. A left-footed strike from Jayden Reid at the 23:58 mark halted Gavran's shutout streak at 390:25, the longest such stretch by a St. John's keeper since Rafael Diaz recorded six straight clean sheets in 2011. Gavran has claimed the last two BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week honors.

St. John's, which had won six straight decisions entering the weekend, had not been part of a draw since a 1-1 tie at Seton Hall on Oct. 26, 2019, a span of 24 games.

St. John's registered the game's first dangerous looks in the attacking third, as Micaah Garnette had a shot blocked in the 10^th minute before Andrew Bennett blasted a ball over the bar in the 11th.

The Red Storm took advantage of a UConn miscue to jump ahead in the 23rd minute. Just inside midfield, Knapp took possession of a loose ball and played it high into the box. UConn centerback Bjorn Nikolajewski attempted to head it out, but the ensuing misplay allowed the ball to fall to the feet of Bartlett. The graduate student flicked it past a charging Jahmali Waite and into the back of the net to give the Johnnies a 1-0 lead.

The Red Storm lead proved to be short-lived. One minute and 39 seconds later, Reid pulled the Huskies even with a running left-footed strike that slipped just past the outstretched hand of a diving Gavran.

St. John's recorded a pair of quality chances in the opening minutes of the second half, as Johan Aquilon had a shot smothered in the 48th minute before Jared Juleau rang a try off the cross bar just 90 seconds later.

The Red Storm threatened again in the 56th minute, earning a pair of corner kicks that did not yield any results.

Following a free kick in the 65th minute, St. John's appeared to take a 2-1 lead on a goal from Matthew Chandler, but the 6-foot-6 senior was called offsides on the play.

The Johnnies' last solid chance of regulation came in the 76th minute, as Garnette created separation from his defender following a precision pass from Atila Ashrafi, but Waite came up with the save for UConn to preserve the 1-1 tie.

Gavran made a few key saves for St. John's at the end of regulation and in overtime, stopping Reid in the 87th before stretching out for a diving save on Maxwell De-Bodene in the 100^th minute.

Both sides recorded three shots in the first extra period. Juleau logged two tries for St. John's while Bartlett added a third.

Ashrafi registered the lone shot attempt of the second overtime, a booming strike that sailed well over the bar in the 106th minute.

St. John's will return to action on Wednesday night when it plays host to Providence. Kick-off from Belson Stadium is set for 7 p.m. on the BIG EAST Digital Network.