St. John's University Athletics
Wednesday, October 6
Queens, N.Y. (Belson Stadium)
7 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
No. 25 Providence
St. John’s to Host No. 25 Providence in Battle of BIG EAST Unbeatens
10/5/2021 2:48:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Red Storm rides a seven-game unbeaten streak, Friars have not lost in six tries
QUEENS, N.Y. – Following a two-game road swing, the St. John's men's soccer team will return to Belson Stadium on Wednesday night for a battle of conference unbeatens, welcoming Providence to Queens for a 7 p.m. kickoff on the BIG EAST Digital Network. Mike Watts will call the action on FloFC.
The Johnnies (7-2-1, 2-0-1 BIG EAST) enter their midweek match with the Friars riding a seven-game unbeaten streak. The Red Storm rattled off six straight wins before drawing with Connecticut on Saturday night in Storrs. Against the Huskies, Lucas Bartlett scored his third goal of the season in the 23rd minute off an assist from Brandon Knapp to give St. John's an early lead before UConn answered less than two minutes later. The two sides went scoreless for the next 86 minutes en route to the Johnnies' first tie since a 1-1 draw with Seton Hall on Oct. 26, 2019, a span of 24 games.
For his efforts, Bartlett earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the second time in the last three weeks. The graduate transfer from Drake is currently tied for the team lead in goals (3) and tied for second on the squad in assists (3). Bartlett was not the only member of the Red Storm to earn accolades from the conference office on Monday, as Micaah Garnette was named the league's freshman of the week. On Tuesday night against Princeton in the Red Storm's non-conference finale, Garnette scored the game-winner in the 79th minute of a 1-0 victory. The Parlin, N.J., native then earned a spot in the starting XI, played 76 minutes and took two shots against UConn.
UConn's goal in the 24th minute on Saturday night marked the first time in nearly a month that the Red Storm allowed an opponent to find the back of the net. Luka Gavran and the Red Storm backline logged 390 minutes and 25 seconds of scoreless play across six games beginning on Sept. 10 against Boston University, recording four consecutive clean sheets in the process. On the season, Gavran ranks 18th nationally in both goals against average (0.59) and save percentage (.842) through games played on Sunday. The redshirt junior is tied for third nationally with six shutouts on the campaign, one off the NCAA lead in that category.
Providence (6-1-2, 2-0-1 BIG EAST) comes to Queens unbeaten in its last six following its lone loss of the season to then-No. 14 New Hampshire on Sept. 3. Like St. John's, the Friars are also coming off a BIG EAST draw on the road, tying Marquette, 2-2, on Saturday night in Milwaukee.
The Friars boast one of the nation's most explosive offensive attacks, ranking 10th in Division I in total goals and sixth in goals per game at 2.78. Providence has yet to be shut out in nine games and has scored three or more goals on six occasions.
Providence is led offensively by Brendan McSorely and Davis Smith. McSorely, a sophomore from Randolph, N.J., has scored a BIG-EAST-best six goals while Smith ranks second in the league with 1.5 points per game. Before being held off the scoresheet on Saturday at Marquette, McSorely had found the back of the net in four straight games, including a two-goal outing against Loyola Maryland.
Sophomore Lukas Burns has started all nine games for Providence in goal, compiling a 1.09 goals against average and a .744 save percentage.
St. John's enters Wednesday's contest with a 21-10-4 record all-time against Providence dating back to their first meeting in 1987.
The Johnnies dominated the early part of the series history, rattling off 15 straight wins from 1989 to 2004 as part of a larger 23-game unbeaten streak ranging from 1989-2009. The Friars responded by going 8-0-1 against the Red Storm from 2013-19 before St. John's snapped the skid with a 2-0 win at then-No. 13 Providence on March 10 of this year.
St. John's has not defeated Providence at Belson Stadium since the College Cup season of 2008.
The Johnnies (7-2-1, 2-0-1 BIG EAST) enter their midweek match with the Friars riding a seven-game unbeaten streak. The Red Storm rattled off six straight wins before drawing with Connecticut on Saturday night in Storrs. Against the Huskies, Lucas Bartlett scored his third goal of the season in the 23rd minute off an assist from Brandon Knapp to give St. John's an early lead before UConn answered less than two minutes later. The two sides went scoreless for the next 86 minutes en route to the Johnnies' first tie since a 1-1 draw with Seton Hall on Oct. 26, 2019, a span of 24 games.
For his efforts, Bartlett earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the second time in the last three weeks. The graduate transfer from Drake is currently tied for the team lead in goals (3) and tied for second on the squad in assists (3). Bartlett was not the only member of the Red Storm to earn accolades from the conference office on Monday, as Micaah Garnette was named the league's freshman of the week. On Tuesday night against Princeton in the Red Storm's non-conference finale, Garnette scored the game-winner in the 79th minute of a 1-0 victory. The Parlin, N.J., native then earned a spot in the starting XI, played 76 minutes and took two shots against UConn.
UConn's goal in the 24th minute on Saturday night marked the first time in nearly a month that the Red Storm allowed an opponent to find the back of the net. Luka Gavran and the Red Storm backline logged 390 minutes and 25 seconds of scoreless play across six games beginning on Sept. 10 against Boston University, recording four consecutive clean sheets in the process. On the season, Gavran ranks 18th nationally in both goals against average (0.59) and save percentage (.842) through games played on Sunday. The redshirt junior is tied for third nationally with six shutouts on the campaign, one off the NCAA lead in that category.
Providence (6-1-2, 2-0-1 BIG EAST) comes to Queens unbeaten in its last six following its lone loss of the season to then-No. 14 New Hampshire on Sept. 3. Like St. John's, the Friars are also coming off a BIG EAST draw on the road, tying Marquette, 2-2, on Saturday night in Milwaukee.
The Friars boast one of the nation's most explosive offensive attacks, ranking 10th in Division I in total goals and sixth in goals per game at 2.78. Providence has yet to be shut out in nine games and has scored three or more goals on six occasions.
Providence is led offensively by Brendan McSorely and Davis Smith. McSorely, a sophomore from Randolph, N.J., has scored a BIG-EAST-best six goals while Smith ranks second in the league with 1.5 points per game. Before being held off the scoresheet on Saturday at Marquette, McSorely had found the back of the net in four straight games, including a two-goal outing against Loyola Maryland.
Sophomore Lukas Burns has started all nine games for Providence in goal, compiling a 1.09 goals against average and a .744 save percentage.
St. John's enters Wednesday's contest with a 21-10-4 record all-time against Providence dating back to their first meeting in 1987.
The Johnnies dominated the early part of the series history, rattling off 15 straight wins from 1989 to 2004 as part of a larger 23-game unbeaten streak ranging from 1989-2009. The Friars responded by going 8-0-1 against the Red Storm from 2013-19 before St. John's snapped the skid with a 2-0 win at then-No. 13 Providence on March 10 of this year.
St. John's has not defeated Providence at Belson Stadium since the College Cup season of 2008.
Players Mentioned
Defender
/ Men's Soccer
Forward
/ Men's Soccer
Goalkeeper
/ Men's Soccer
Midfielder/Defender
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