St. John's University Athletics
Saturday, October 23
Queens, N.Y. (Belson Stadium)
5 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
Marquette
St. John’s to Welcome Marquette on Homecoming Weekend
10/22/2021 10:39:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Red Storm and Golden Eagles scheduled for a 5 p.m. Saturday kick-off
QUEENS, N.Y. – After dropping a closely contested decision to No. 2 Georgetown on Wednesday afternoon in Washington, the St. John's men's soccer will look to rebound on Saturday evening against Marquette at Belson Stadium. Kick-off for the match, which is part of St. John's Athletics Homecoming Weekend, is set for 5 p.m. on the BIG EAST Digital Network.
The Red Storm appeared to be heading for a 1-1 draw with the 2019 national champions before an unfortunate deflection in front gave the Hoyas the golden goal with just 38 seconds remaining in the second extra period. Brandon Knapp scored his fourth goal of the season in the 49th minute against the Hoyas off an assist from Wesley Leggett. The versatile senior from Abingdon, Md., now has 13 points on the year, good enough for the sixth highest total in the BIG EAST. His five assists lead the league.
Wednesday's loss marked the first time in more than a month that St. John's had surrendered two goals in a single game dating back to a 3-2 win over Boston University on Sept. 10. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Luka Gavran has eight clean sheets on the season and ranks eighth nationally with a 0.61 goals against average. His .830 save percentage ranks 10th in Division I.
Of the Red Storm's four losses this season, three have been to nationally ranked opponents. The Johnnies also fell to then-No. 6 Clemson after leading for more than 55 minutes in the campaign opener before losing in double overtime to then-No. 25 Providence on Oct. 6. All four of the team's defeats have been by one goal. St. John's has not dropped a decision by two or more goals since the 2019 NCAA Tournament Round of 16 against No. 1 Virginia.
St. John's received votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll on Tuesday for the second consecutive week. The Johnnies' 14 total points placed them sixth among the teams in the Other Receiving Votes category. The Red Storm checked in at no. 32 in Monday's release of the RPI, good enough for third among teams in the BIG EAST. Six of the 11 programs in the BIG EAST rank among the RPI top 50 with none of the 11 falling any lower than 83.
The Red Storm enters the weekend with a conference record of 3-2-2, good enough for 11 points and fifth place in the BIG EAST standings. Butler and Villanova are currently tied for third with 12 points apiece while Georgetown (18 pts) and Providence (14 pts) occupy the first and second spots, respectively. The top six teams in the final regular season standings will earn a berth to the BIG EAST Men's Soccer Championship with the top two squads receiving a bye to the semifinals. St. John's has qualified for each of the last three BIG EAST Tournaments held in the fall with a pair of semifinal appearances during that stretch.
Marquette heads to New York with a record of 6-7-1 on the season following a 2-1 loss to Butler on Wednesday in Indianapolis. The Golden Eagles are just 2-4-0 away from home this season, but both of those wins have come during BIG EAST play, as Marquette topped Seton Hall and Creighton by scores of 3-1 on the road.
Redshirt junior forward Lukas Sunesson leads the Golden Eagles and ranks second in the BIG EAST with six goals on the season. The Taby, Sweden, native has not found the back of the net in either of Marquette's last two games, but scored three times during the preceding two-game road swing at Creighton and Connecticut. Beto Soto, the 2020-21 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, has four goals and three assists in 14 appearances while freshman midfielder Edrey Caceres has added three goals and three helpers.
Chandler Hallwood has played every minute for Marquette between the pipes this season, compiling a 1.38 goals against average and a .733 save percentage.
St. John's and Marquette will meet on Saturday night for the 11th time since the Golden Eagles joined the BIG EAST for the 2005-06 academic year. Marquette holds a slight edge in the series history, as St. John's is 3-4-3 all-time against the Golden Eagles heading into the weekend.
The last two games between St. John's and Marquette were both lopsided affairs in Milwaukee. The Golden Eagles dropped the Red Storm, 4-0, in 2018 before the Red Storm returned the favor with a 4-0 win of its own in 2019. Rafael Bustamante and Atila Ashrafi each found the back of the net during that game before Tani Oluwaseyi added a pair of second-half insurance goals.
St. John's is 1-2-2 all-time against Marquette at Belson Stadium and winless in their last four home meetings. During their last outing in Queens in 2017, the Golden Eagles scored with just 26 seconds remaining in double overtime to break a scoreless tie.
The Red Storm appeared to be heading for a 1-1 draw with the 2019 national champions before an unfortunate deflection in front gave the Hoyas the golden goal with just 38 seconds remaining in the second extra period. Brandon Knapp scored his fourth goal of the season in the 49th minute against the Hoyas off an assist from Wesley Leggett. The versatile senior from Abingdon, Md., now has 13 points on the year, good enough for the sixth highest total in the BIG EAST. His five assists lead the league.
Wednesday's loss marked the first time in more than a month that St. John's had surrendered two goals in a single game dating back to a 3-2 win over Boston University on Sept. 10. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Luka Gavran has eight clean sheets on the season and ranks eighth nationally with a 0.61 goals against average. His .830 save percentage ranks 10th in Division I.
Of the Red Storm's four losses this season, three have been to nationally ranked opponents. The Johnnies also fell to then-No. 6 Clemson after leading for more than 55 minutes in the campaign opener before losing in double overtime to then-No. 25 Providence on Oct. 6. All four of the team's defeats have been by one goal. St. John's has not dropped a decision by two or more goals since the 2019 NCAA Tournament Round of 16 against No. 1 Virginia.
St. John's received votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll on Tuesday for the second consecutive week. The Johnnies' 14 total points placed them sixth among the teams in the Other Receiving Votes category. The Red Storm checked in at no. 32 in Monday's release of the RPI, good enough for third among teams in the BIG EAST. Six of the 11 programs in the BIG EAST rank among the RPI top 50 with none of the 11 falling any lower than 83.
The Red Storm enters the weekend with a conference record of 3-2-2, good enough for 11 points and fifth place in the BIG EAST standings. Butler and Villanova are currently tied for third with 12 points apiece while Georgetown (18 pts) and Providence (14 pts) occupy the first and second spots, respectively. The top six teams in the final regular season standings will earn a berth to the BIG EAST Men's Soccer Championship with the top two squads receiving a bye to the semifinals. St. John's has qualified for each of the last three BIG EAST Tournaments held in the fall with a pair of semifinal appearances during that stretch.
Marquette heads to New York with a record of 6-7-1 on the season following a 2-1 loss to Butler on Wednesday in Indianapolis. The Golden Eagles are just 2-4-0 away from home this season, but both of those wins have come during BIG EAST play, as Marquette topped Seton Hall and Creighton by scores of 3-1 on the road.
Redshirt junior forward Lukas Sunesson leads the Golden Eagles and ranks second in the BIG EAST with six goals on the season. The Taby, Sweden, native has not found the back of the net in either of Marquette's last two games, but scored three times during the preceding two-game road swing at Creighton and Connecticut. Beto Soto, the 2020-21 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, has four goals and three assists in 14 appearances while freshman midfielder Edrey Caceres has added three goals and three helpers.
Chandler Hallwood has played every minute for Marquette between the pipes this season, compiling a 1.38 goals against average and a .733 save percentage.
St. John's and Marquette will meet on Saturday night for the 11th time since the Golden Eagles joined the BIG EAST for the 2005-06 academic year. Marquette holds a slight edge in the series history, as St. John's is 3-4-3 all-time against the Golden Eagles heading into the weekend.
The last two games between St. John's and Marquette were both lopsided affairs in Milwaukee. The Golden Eagles dropped the Red Storm, 4-0, in 2018 before the Red Storm returned the favor with a 4-0 win of its own in 2019. Rafael Bustamante and Atila Ashrafi each found the back of the net during that game before Tani Oluwaseyi added a pair of second-half insurance goals.
St. John's is 1-2-2 all-time against Marquette at Belson Stadium and winless in their last four home meetings. During their last outing in Queens in 2017, the Golden Eagles scored with just 26 seconds remaining in double overtime to break a scoreless tie.
Players Mentioned
Midfielder
/ Men's Soccer
Defender
/ Men's Soccer
Goalkeeper
/ Men's Soccer
Midfielder/Defender
/ Men's Soccer
Forward
/ Men's Soccer
Forward/Midfielder
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