Fourth-Seeded St. John’s Falls to Fifth-Seeded UConn, 2-1, in Overtime

Saturday, November 4

Queens, N.Y. (Belson Stadium)

6 p.m.

St. John's University

8-4-5, 3-1-4

#5 UConn

9-7-1, 4-4-0

UConn

St. John's (NY)

Fourth-Seeded St. John’s Falls to Fifth-Seeded UConn, 2-1, in Overtime

11/4/2023 9:33:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Lenny Cidolit scores first goal for Red Storm in BIG EAST Quarterfinals

QUEENS, N.Y. – The fourth-seeded St. John's men's soccer team dropped its BIG EAST Quarterfinal matchup, 2-1, in overtime to fifth-seeded UConn at Belson Stadium on Saturday.

Graduate transfer Lenny CIdolit scored his first goal with the Red Storm, striking five of his six shot attempts on target. Macoumba Ba logged his sixth assist of the year while Antek Sienkiel, who missed significant time during the regular season and made his return on Saturday, tallied his third helper in eight appearances.

Despite the setback, goalkeeper Alec McLachlan rattled off five saves while facing 15 Husky shot attempts. Miguel Diaz, Justin Kopay, Thomas Lamaille and Ignacio Antequera Sanchez all played a full 110 minutes for the Red Storm on Saturday.

UConn (9-7-1) produced the first six shots of the game, seeing McLachlan make three incredible diving stops in the opening 13 minutes. The sophomore's top save came in the 13^th minute on a rocketed chance by Nicolas Tomerius, sprawling in the air to get his right hand on the ball and making the deflection.

The Huskies broke through on its seventh chance of the game as Kieran Chandler found Scott Testori at the back post on a corner set piece, heading home the first goal of the game, 1-0, in the 21^st minute.

St. John's (8-4-5) nearly put home an equalizer on its first shot of the game, seeing a Cidolit rocket from 10 yards out pushed above the crossbar by Huskies' goalkeeper Kyle Briere in the 27^th minute.

UConn took a one-goal edge into the break, outshooting the Red Storm, 7-4, in the opening frame while seeing five of those chances on target.

The Red Storm came out flying in the second half, knotting the game at one apiece just 1:23 into the second half. After a steal in the attacking third, Sienkiel led Ba down the right side before lacing a cross to the open left foot of Cidolit for the equalizer, 1-1.

Cidolit continued to hound the UConn backline as a set piece taken by Diaz on the far side found the Rider transfer's head inside the six-yard box, but saw his chance pushed over the crossbar in the 53^rd minute. The Montpellier, France, native also produced shots on frame in the 57^th and 63^rd minutes, seeing both turned away by Briere.

Ba nearly found the back of the net in the 81^st minute, pulling in a Red Storm corner before lasering his opportunity just over the crossbar.

Lamaille gave the Johnnies one last chance at the end of regulation after streaking down the right side and ripping a low shot inches wide of the far left post with just over three minutes remaining.

The Red Storm produced more than double the amount of shots of UConn in the second half alone, 10-4.

After a blank first overtime period, UConn went on to capitalize on a Red Storm miscue in its defensive third and saw Eli Conway knock home the game-winning goal in the 102^nd minute for a 2-1 victory.