Knapp’s Game-Winner Sends St. John’s Past Xavier, 1-0

Saturday, September 18

Cincinnati, Ohio (Corcoran Field)

7 p.m.

St. John's University

5-2-0 (1-0-0BE)

Xavier

6-2-0 (0-1-0BE)

St. John's

Xavier

Luka Gavran recorded his first collegiate solo clean sheet.

Knapp’s Game-Winner Sends St. John’s Past Xavier, 1-0

9/18/2021 9:29:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Red Storm opens BIG EAST play with its first road win against the Musketeers

By: Andrew O'Connell

CINCINNATI – After more than 70 minutes of scoreless action at Corcoran Field, Brandon Knapp headed home a cross from Jared Juleau, providing all the offense St. John's would need for a 1-0 win over Xavier to open BIG EAST play.

The goal marked Knapp's third of the season, all three of which have been game-winners. Juleau's assist was his second of the campaign.

Luka Gavran made three first-half saves to record his fourth clean sheet in just seven tries.

St. John's (5-2-0, 1-0-0 BIG EAST) outshot Xavier on the evening, 13-4, including a 7-0 edge in second-half chances. The Red Storm also earned six corner kicks to the Musketeers' none.

Atila Ashrafi recorded a game-high three shots while freshman Filip Kangeman registered two shots in 26 minutes during his collegiate debut.

The Red Storm's win was the first for the Johnnies against the Musketeers in Cincinnati, as St. John's was 0-2-1 in road tilts against Xavier heading into Saturday's BIG EAST opener. The Johnnies now own a slight 4-3-2 edge in their all-time series against the Musketeers, who entered the game with a record of 6-1-0 on the season. Before falling to the Johnnies, Xavier's only loss came at the hands of then-No. 1 Indiana in Bloomington.

After Gavran was tasked with making two stops in the opening nine minutes of action, momentum quickly swung in favor of the Johnnies. Knapp sent a strike on target in the 10th minute that required a jumping save from Rosenberg. Six minutes later, Ashrafi put another chance on net that Rosenberg had to punch up, this time ringing it off the bar.

Following a series of St. John's chances, including a Rafael Bustamante blast in the 31st minute that missed just high, Xavier tallied shots from Jerome Jolley in the 38th minute and Justus Kauppinen in the 42nd, the latter of which required a diving save from Gavran. Those would be the last two shots of the night for the home side.

Neither team recorded a shot for the first 16 minutes of second-half play before Juleau sent a try on target that was smothered by Rosenberg.

Just over nine minutes later, Juleau played the ball that would send the Johnnies home winners. The sequence began in the middle of the field, as Einar Lye sent a ball to the feet of Kangeman, who then found Knapp near the top of the 18-yard box. Knapp pushed it out wide left for Juleau before breaking toward the near post. The two-time All-BIG EAST selection headed home the perfectly-placed cross with authority, putting the Johnnies ahead 1-0 with just under 20 minutes to play.

In possession of the lead, St. John's did not take its foot off the gas, firing off four shots over the next 10 minutes of play.

Xavier made a final push in the closing minutes, but was unable to produce any quality looks at an equalizer.

St. John's, which has won four straight and five of its last six, will return to action on Friday night when it welcomes Creighton to Belson Stadium. Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. on the BIG EAST Digital Network.