St. John’s Prevails With Nine Men in 1-0 Victory Over RV Marquette

Friday, September 29

Milwaukee, Wis. (Valley Fields)

8 p.m.

St. John's University

5-3-2, 1-1-1

RV Marquette

7-2-1, 1-2-0

St. John's (NY)

Marquette

St. John’s Prevails With Nine Men in 1-0 Victory Over RV Marquette

9/29/2023 11:11:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Red Storm staves off 19 shots and 17 corners from the Golden Eagles

MILWAUKEE, Wis. – After facing 19 shots in total, 17 of which came in the second half, the St. John's men's soccer team rallied with two men down for the final 34 minutes of the game to knock off RV Marquette on the road, 1-0, on Friday evening.

The Red Storm needed just one shot to earn the victory with striker Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau knocking home his seventh goal of the season to remain tied for the BIG EAST lead with Georgetown's Jacob Murrell. Martin Kozak provided the primary assist on the tally for his first of the year while Miguel Diaz secured the team lead with his fifth helper.

Goalkeeper Alec McLachlan stood on his head for all 90 minutes, logging just three saves but keeping the home team at bay with minimal second-chance opportunities. The Stockport, England native earned his second clean sheet of the season with the one-goal victory on Friday.

Defenders Thomas Lamaille and Connor Mucchetti played all 90 minutes for the Red Storm, helping the Johnnies fend off 13 Marquette shots in the final third of play. The Golden Eagles (7-2-1, 1-2-0 BIG EAST) also racked up 17 corner kicks in the contest.

With the victory, St. John's (6-4-2, 1-1-1 BIG EAST) handed Marquette its first loss at Valley Fields this season as the host team moved to 6-1 in Milwaukee.

Both squads registered one corner kick apiece through the opening 20 minutes with the Golden Eagles chipping in the match's only two shots to that point. Marquette nearly broke through in the seventh minute as Brooklyn Merl ripped a point-blank shot from just outside the six-yard box, missing just wide of the right post.

The Johnnies produced a prime opportunity in the 28^th minute as Diaz lined a pass to a cutting Brady Geho near the right post, heading a chance on net, but was called offside.

St. John's pestered the Golden Eagles' back line before capitalizing on its only shot of the game. In the 39^th minute, Diaz reeled in a long pass from McLachlan before making Marquette's defender twist and turn. The forward found an open Kozak at the top of the box, only to split a pair of Golden Eagles on his pass to Fleuriau Chateau. The Red Storm's leading goal scorer one-touched the assist to his left foot and crushed a shot past Marquette's Ludvig Malberg for a 1-0 edge heading into the break.

The final 45 minutes of action was nothing short of chaos as the Red Storm saw a yellow card turn red after an official video review just 64 seconds into the half. Marquette nearly knotted the game up 1:19 later on a brilliant stretch pass to Merl in the 48^th minute but was deemed offside on the play.

The Golden Eagles continued to pressure the Johnnies, earning three corners in a span of 1:22, all of which were either turned away by the Red Storm's back line or caught Marquette offside.

The Johnnies found themselves in similar adversity as they did nearly a week ago, going down two men for the final 34 minutes of the game after another official review negated a Marquette penalty kick, but gave St. John's its second red card.

The Red Storm's four-man wall blocked the ensuing free-kick shot by Edrey Caceres from 20 yards out in the 56^th minute, a strike that started an onslaught of opportunities by the home team.

For the final 30 minutes of action, St. John's remained composed in its defensive third while Marquette rattled off shot after shot toward the cage. After Golden Eagles' attacker Antonio Costabile saw his chance blocked by Lamaille at 60:15, McLachlan turned away Nico Pendleton's second opportunity in less than two minutes with a crucial stop at 64:39.

The Johnnies' goalkeeper held his line on a low rip from Karim Abdoul Pare in the 65^th minute before getting a hand on a redirected shot by Noah Madrigal at 68:50.

Over the next 15 minutes, Marquette was held without a shot while the Johnnies pushed the ball upfield with Fleuriau Chateau and company playing keep away from the Golden Eagles. At 84:42, Camron Boumsong made a crucial block on Marquette's Merl, who rocketed a shot from the penalty dot. Forward Max McNulty also lunged in front of Caceres for a deflection just over a minute later before Marquette's final chance from Madrigal was shouldered away by St. John's Mucchetti.

The Johnnies breathed a sigh of relief as Colin Veltri shed 40 seconds off the clock in the final minute and turned away a final cross from Marquette to hold on for the 1-0 victory.

St. John's will return to Queens for its final non-conference matchup on Tuesday when Ivy League foe Columbia makes its way to Belson Stadium for a 7 p.m. slate.