St. John's University Athletics
Tuesday, September 27
Queens, N.Y. (Belson Stadium)
7 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
Princeton
St. John’s Readies to Close Non-Conference Play Against Princeton
9/26/2022 11:37:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Red Storm and Tigers will kick off on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Queens
QUEENS, N.Y. – The Red Storm will look to get back to its winning ways on Tuesday night when it closes non-conference play against Princeton at Belson Stadium. Kick-off for the 2021 NCAA Tournament rematch is set for 7 p.m. on FloFC.
The Red Storm will look to rebound following the most lopsided loss in the history of Belson Stadium on Friday night against Villanova, as the Wildcats took down the Johnnies by a score of 4-0. Villanova struck three times in the span of just 17 minutes during the first half before adding on another tally in the 75th minute. Friday night marked the Red Storm's first regular season loss by more than one goal since a 3-0 falter on Oct. 23, 2019, to eventual national champion Georgetown, snapping a 37-game streak.
The Johnnies' setback came without the services of goalkeeper Zenden Hart, who won BIG EAST Freshman of the Week accolades on Sept. 19 after helping the Red Storm defeat Georgetown to open conference play. Hart, a former youth international in Australia, currently ranks third in the BIG EAST with a 0.80 goals against average and fifth in the league with a save percentage of .778.
Despite the loss, St. John's still sits in a tie for third place in the BIG EAST standings following two weekends of play. Butler and Villanova sit atop the conference with records of 1-0-1 followed by the Red Storm and Georgetown at 1-1-0. Xavier, Seton Hall and Providence have played to draws in each of their first two league matches. The remaining four teams in the BIG EAST—Marquette, DePaul, Creighton and UConn—each have one point in the ledger thanks to an early draw.
With five goals through his first eight games as a Johnnie, Antek Sienkiel is currently tied for third in the BIG EAST in that category. The 2021 Second Team All-MAAC selection at Marist scored just two goals in 38 career appearances with the Red Foxes prior to arriving in Queens. Brandon Knapp is the only other Johnnie to find the back of the net more than once this year, converting on two penalty kicks in as many chances. The three-time All-BIG EAST selection has played a majority of the season at center back.
Princeton comes Queens sporting a record of 3-2-1. The Tigers have won each of their last two games by a combined margin of 5-0, including a 3-0 victory over Rider on Friday night at home. Earlier in the week, the Tigers picked up a 2-0 win over Loyola Maryland, a squad that St. John's played to a 1-1 draw earlier this month.
The Tigers are led offensively by Ryan Clare, who has scored three of his four goals this season in the team's past two matches. On Friday, Clare provided two second-half insurance tallies after scoring the game-winner in the sixth minute against the Greyhounds.
Loyola is not the only 2021 NCAA Tournament team to fall to the Tigers this fall, as Princeton posted a 2-1 road win over Penn State on Sept. 9.
Khamari Hadaway and William Watson have each started three games between the pipes this season for Princeton. Watson, who started the team's last outing against Rider, has a statistical advantage in the tandem, going 2-0-1 with a 0.67 goals against average and an .800 save percentage.
St. John's and Princeton will meet for the 15th time in the history of the two programs on Tuesday night, a series that favors the Red Storm, 7-4-3.
Two of those victories came last season, as the Red Storm defeated the Tigers, 1-0, in Princeton on Sept. 28 before registering another 1-0 win in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament at Belson Stadium. Brandon Knapp provided the postseason game-winner for the Johnnies while Atila Ashrafi picked up two of his four assists last season against Princeton.
Princeton has won each of its last two regular season matches at Belson Stadium, one in 2018 and one in 2015.
The Red Storm's last regular season home win against Princeton came in 2013, as Sean Sepe and Jimmy Mulligan scored in a 2-0 victory. Rafael Diaz made three saves to record the clean sheet.
The Red Storm will look to rebound following the most lopsided loss in the history of Belson Stadium on Friday night against Villanova, as the Wildcats took down the Johnnies by a score of 4-0. Villanova struck three times in the span of just 17 minutes during the first half before adding on another tally in the 75th minute. Friday night marked the Red Storm's first regular season loss by more than one goal since a 3-0 falter on Oct. 23, 2019, to eventual national champion Georgetown, snapping a 37-game streak.
The Johnnies' setback came without the services of goalkeeper Zenden Hart, who won BIG EAST Freshman of the Week accolades on Sept. 19 after helping the Red Storm defeat Georgetown to open conference play. Hart, a former youth international in Australia, currently ranks third in the BIG EAST with a 0.80 goals against average and fifth in the league with a save percentage of .778.
Despite the loss, St. John's still sits in a tie for third place in the BIG EAST standings following two weekends of play. Butler and Villanova sit atop the conference with records of 1-0-1 followed by the Red Storm and Georgetown at 1-1-0. Xavier, Seton Hall and Providence have played to draws in each of their first two league matches. The remaining four teams in the BIG EAST—Marquette, DePaul, Creighton and UConn—each have one point in the ledger thanks to an early draw.
With five goals through his first eight games as a Johnnie, Antek Sienkiel is currently tied for third in the BIG EAST in that category. The 2021 Second Team All-MAAC selection at Marist scored just two goals in 38 career appearances with the Red Foxes prior to arriving in Queens. Brandon Knapp is the only other Johnnie to find the back of the net more than once this year, converting on two penalty kicks in as many chances. The three-time All-BIG EAST selection has played a majority of the season at center back.
Princeton comes Queens sporting a record of 3-2-1. The Tigers have won each of their last two games by a combined margin of 5-0, including a 3-0 victory over Rider on Friday night at home. Earlier in the week, the Tigers picked up a 2-0 win over Loyola Maryland, a squad that St. John's played to a 1-1 draw earlier this month.
The Tigers are led offensively by Ryan Clare, who has scored three of his four goals this season in the team's past two matches. On Friday, Clare provided two second-half insurance tallies after scoring the game-winner in the sixth minute against the Greyhounds.
Loyola is not the only 2021 NCAA Tournament team to fall to the Tigers this fall, as Princeton posted a 2-1 road win over Penn State on Sept. 9.
Khamari Hadaway and William Watson have each started three games between the pipes this season for Princeton. Watson, who started the team's last outing against Rider, has a statistical advantage in the tandem, going 2-0-1 with a 0.67 goals against average and an .800 save percentage.
St. John's and Princeton will meet for the 15th time in the history of the two programs on Tuesday night, a series that favors the Red Storm, 7-4-3.
Two of those victories came last season, as the Red Storm defeated the Tigers, 1-0, in Princeton on Sept. 28 before registering another 1-0 win in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament at Belson Stadium. Brandon Knapp provided the postseason game-winner for the Johnnies while Atila Ashrafi picked up two of his four assists last season against Princeton.
Princeton has won each of its last two regular season matches at Belson Stadium, one in 2018 and one in 2015.
The Red Storm's last regular season home win against Princeton came in 2013, as Sean Sepe and Jimmy Mulligan scored in a 2-0 victory. Rafael Diaz made three saves to record the clean sheet.
Players Mentioned
Midfielder
/ Men's Soccer
Goalkeeper
/ Men's Soccer
Midfielder/Defender
/ Men's Soccer
Midfielder/Defender
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