Sienkiel’s Hat Trick Sends St. John’s Past Lehigh, 5-0

Friday, September 2

Queens, N.Y. (Belson Stadium)

5 p.m.

St. John's University

1-2-0

Lehigh

0-3-0

Lehigh

St. John's

Antek Sienkiel scored his three goals in just 51 minutes of action against the Mountain Hawks.

Brandon Knapp converted a penalty kick in the 30th minute.b

Nigel Griffith drew the foul to set up Knapp's penalty kick goal.

Wesley Leggett scored his first goal of the season and assisted on another for three points.

Wesley Leggett and Antek Sienkiel after a St. John's goal.

Atila Ashrafi logged 51 minutes in the win.

Wesley Leggett collides with the Lehigh keeper.

Juston Rainey logged 37 minutes and took one shot.

Zenden Hart recorded his first collegiate shutout, making four saves in the process.

Tommy Scalici made his first appearance of the season.

The starting XI for Friday's win over Lehigh.

The team huddles before Friday's 5-0 win over the Mountain Hawks.

Adrian Roseth started and took one shot.

Antek Sienkiel celebrates his first goal as a Johnnie with a backflip.

Sienkiel’s Hat Trick Sends St. John’s Past Lehigh, 5-0

9/2/2022 8:14:00 PM | Men's Soccer

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Redshirt junior records 21st hat trick in program history

By: Andrew O'Connell

QUEENS, N.Y. – Redshirt junior midfielder Antek Sienkiel became the first St. John's player in nearly two decades to score three goals in a single game, leading the Red Storm to a 5-0 win over Lehigh on Friday evening at Belson Stadium.

Sienkiel, who had logged two goals in 40 career appearances entering the contest, recorded the 21^st hat trick in St. John's history and the first by a Red Storm player since Andrei Gotsmanov on Oct. 30, 2004, against USF.

In addition to Sienkiel, Brandon Knapp and Wesley Leggett also found the back of the net on Friday night.

Making his collegiate debut, Miguel Diaz recorded an assist on each of Sienkiel's first two goals. Leggett also added a helper for a three-point night while Drew Rosen assisted on the fifth and final goal of the evening.

Freshman goalkeeper Zenden Hart registered his first shutout as a member of the Red Storm, turning aside all four Lehigh shots on goal.

The Red Storm's five goals marked the team's best single-game output since beating Columbia, 5-1, on Sept. 16, 2019. The Johnnies scored three times in an opening half for the first time since Sept. 23, 2017, against Xavier.

The Red Storm (1-2-0) nearly jumped ahead in the opening minute of action, as Diaz drew a foul near the top of the box to set up a dangerous free kick. Sienkiel placed a sold right foot on it, but his chance missed just high.

Following a few more chances for each side, Sienkiel broke through in the 18^th minute. Jordan Bailon played a long ball into the box from the left side that bounced around for a few seconds before being corralled by Diaz. The freshman deftly dropped a pass for Sienkiel, who blasted a shot into the top-right corner of the cage to make it 1-0.

Diaz and Sienkiel connected for another goal exactly five minute later, as Diaz drew attention from multiple defenders with nifty footwork before threading a pass into Sienkiel, who finished with authority and put the Johnnies ahead by a pair.

St. John's wasted no time padding its lead, as Nigel Griffith drew a foul in the box to set up a penalty kick for Knapp, who finished easily to make it 3-0 in favor of the home side in the 30^th minute.

With his team ahead 3-0 at the break, Sienkiel completed the hat trick in the 51^st minute, burying a Leggett rebound to make it a four-goal game.

15 minutes later, it was Leggett's turn to finish on a second chance, as the senior converted the rebound from Rosen's initial shot to give the Johnnies their fifth goal of the evening.

The Red Storm will return to action on Tuesday evening, traveling to Bloomington for an 8 p.m. match against longtime rival Indiana. The Johnnies and the Hoosiers are 3-3-2 all-time against one another with three of those matches coming in December, including two in the College Cup (2001 and 2003). In 2008, the Red Storm completed a miraculous comeback at Belson Stadium to beat the Hoosiers an earn a spot in the College Cup, scoring twice in the final nine minutes of regulation before winning in overtime.