St. John’s Captures 500th Team Win in 2-1 Come-From-Behind Victory at Butler

Friday, October 4

Indianapolis, Ind. (Bud & Jackie Sellick Bowl)

7 p.m.

St. John's University

4-4-3, 2-1-0

Butler

3-6-2, 0-3-0

St. John's (NY)

Butler

St. John’s Captures 500th Team Win in 2-1 Come-From-Behind Victory at Butler

10/4/2024 9:55:00 PM | Men's Soccer

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Red Storm becomes second founding BIG EAST school to reach 500 wins since 1979

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – A second half surge lifted the St. John's men's soccer team to its 500^th win in program history, taking down Butler, 2-1, in comeback fashion at Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl on Friday evening.

St. John's (4-4-3, 2-1-0 BIG EAST) became just the second founding BIG EAST program since the conference's inception in 1979 to reach the 500-win plateau, joining UConn, which has logged 579 wins over that span.

The Red Storm utilized 10 of its 13 shots across the final 45 minutes of action, including six on frame. The Johnnies also outproduced the Bulldogs (3-6-2, 0-3-0 BIG EAST) in corners, 7-5.

Striker Augustine Boadi registered his first goal in a Red Storm uniform with a strike in the 50^th minute, marking his first tally since Oct. 17, 2023, against Stonehill. The Kumasi, Ghana product saw just 29 minutes of action while logging four shot attempts, three of which were on target.

Fellow forward Nigel Griffith also scored his first goal of the season with a rocket from 25 yards out in the 76^th minute. The Stroudsburg, Pa., native also produced two shots, both on target, across 30 minutes off the bench. Thomas Lamaille and Macoumba Ba matched Griffith with a pair of attempts in the contest.

Jackson Gould and Bjorn Nikolajewski each tallied an assist in the contest, setting up Boadi for the equalizer.

Alec McLachlan and the Red Storm backline cleared away several early crosses from the Butler offense. Ba stuffed the Bulldogs' first shot attempt, only to see the ball cleared out of danger.

The Johnnies surged at the 10-minute mark as Martin Kozak lasered a cross into the box that saw the Bulldogs' keeper Caleb Norris punch away the low feed. The ball fell to Ba 15 yards away and the Dakar, Senegal native fired a shot on frame. Butler's last line of defense prevented the opportunity from getting across the line to keep the game scoreless.

The two teams combined for seven corners through the first 20 minutes of the contest with St. John's producing four of its own over that span.

Butler snapped the tie in the 21^st minute as Henri Kumwenda broke down the right side and placed his shot just inside the top corner at the near post to take a 1-0 lead.

The Red Storm locked down the Bulldogs shortly after, surrendering just one shot across the remaining 24 minutes of the opening stanza. Antonio Biggs recovered in the final minute after a through ball got past the Johnnies' defender, but the 6-foot-3 product out of Jamaica raced to catch Palmer Ault and halted his opportunity.

The Johnnies came out firing on all cylinders and capitalized on their first shot of the second half. Nikolajewski sent a stretch pass deep into the Bulldogs' defensive third to a streaking Gould. The Clifton Park, N.Y., native cut into the box and rocketed a cross through the crease to an open Boadi, who tumbled and tapped home the equalizer in the 50^th minute.

Boadi continued to pester Butler's defense, exploding into the offensive third over the next 15 minutes. Just 62 seconds after Lamaille rocketed a shot on target, Boadi rattled the right post on a scorching shot attempt from 16 yards out.

The Johnnies' attacker nearly beat Butler's Norris for the third time in the game, forcing the keeper to make a sprawling stop on a point-blank chance and forcing the ball over the net in the 63^rd minute. Four minutes later, Gould created space down the left side before his attempt sailed just wide of the near post in the 67^th minute.

After exchanging shots over the next nine minutes, Griffith provided the go-ahead goal with a strike in the 76^th minute. The veteran attacker raced through open terrain and possessed the ball over 50 yards before firing a shot into the twine from 25 yards out. stunning the Butler faithful with a 2-1 lead.

The Johnnies halted any chance by the Bulldogs down the stretch, including a sliding block from Godwin Partey with under two minutes to play. St. John's kept Butler at bay and held on for the one-goal victory.

The Red Storm will home to welcome Loyola (Md.) to Queens on Tuesday. Kick-off from Belson Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be streamed on FloFC.