St. John’s Unloads 22 Shots in Setback to Loyola (Md.)

Tuesday, October 8

Queens, N.Y. (Belson Stadium)

7 p.m.

St. John's University

4-5-3, 2-1-0

Loyola (Md.)

2-6-3, 1-2-1

Loyola Maryland

St. John's (NY)

St. John’s Unloads 22 Shots in Setback to Loyola (Md.)

10/8/2024 9:37:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Red Storm added 10 corners, most in a game since Nov. 6, 2021

QUEENS, N.Y. – A 22-shot onslaught by the St. John's men's soccer team fell short in a 1-0 setback to Loyola (Md.) on Tuesday evening at Belson Stadium.

Of the team's 22 shot attempts, the Red Storm (4-5-3) produced nine shots on frame. Senior Nigel Griffith unleashed eight of the team's chances while producing four on target in 64 minutes off the bench. Tyler Morck rattled off four shots of his own while Julian Jakopovic and Macoumba Ba fired three attempts each.

St. John's broke double digits in corner kicks, registering 10 on the evening. It marks the most corners in a game for the Red Storm since recording 10 against Butler on Nov. 6, 2021.

The Johnnies' Morck found open space just 3:06 into the contest, ripping a low shot from the top of the 18-yard box and having his attempt blocked wide to set up a corner.

Loyola quickly responded and maintained possession over the next five minutes. The Greyhounds used a quick transition to strike first in the ninth minute. Jordy Luchies fed Pat Kakayira deep in the box before one-touching a pass to Jake Sweeney for a 1-0 lead.

The Red Storm held possession over the next 15 minutes, earning a pair of chances. Jakopovic bent a corner kick on frame with Greyhounds' goalkeeper Dylan van der Walt getting enough on the ball to ricochet the attempt off the crossbar and away at 18:44. Just 16 seconds later, Miguel Diaz fired his first opportunity of the evening over the frame.

The Johnnies continued to aggravate Loyola's backline over the final 15 minutes of the first half. Ba, who came in off the bench, nearly provided the equalizer in the 33^rd minute from five yards out, seeing his tap-in stopped on the goal line. Two minutes later, Morck found himself in a prime position to reel in a pass from Ba and rocket a low shot on frame that was turned away by van der Walt.

St. John's was relentless in trying to find the back of the net before intermission. Thomas Lamaille broke through the middle of the field before tapping a pass to a streaking Griffith, who booted an attempt on frame from 15 yards out that was once again stopped by Loyola's keeper.

Out of halftime, Alec McLachlan stared down Greyhounds' Charlie Herley bolting down the left side. The Johnnies' goalie dove to his left and got his fingertip on the attempt to push it just past the post in the 49^th minute.

Griffith surged shortly after with a pair of chances in close. The senior attacker won his aerial duel and found his stride into the box, beating the Loyola backline. Griffith ripped a low shot across his body towards the lower right corner, only to see his attempt pushed aside by van der Walt in the 55^th minute. The Stroudsburg, Pa., native also tapped an opportunity wide of the net 12 seconds later and put another shot on frame in the 58^th minute.

Six minutes later, St. John's Augustine Boadi unloaded an attempt from 20 yards away, seeing his shot blocked and falling to Jakopovic for a rebound. The German defender fired an opportunity of his own toward the frame, but was blocked by Loyola's defenders again.

The Red Storm continued its offensive onslaught as Jakopovic fired a set piece from just outside the 18 and saw van der Walt knock down the attempt in the 71^st minute. Griffith sprinted into the six-yard box and nearly tucked in the equalizer from in close but was stopped by the Greyhounds' keeper.

St. John's unloaded three more shots with under 10 minutes to play. Antonio Biggs ripped a low chance on frame in the 81^st minute, followed by another blocked opportunity from Boadi in the 85^th minute. Griffith unleashed his eighth and final shot of the evening with just over 90 seconds to play but could not get it behind the Loyola's defense.

The visitors' goalkeeper van der Walt finished the game with a season-best nine saves en route to the clean sheet.

The Red Storm will play host to DePaul on Saturday with kick-off from Belson Stadium scheduled for 7 p.m. The BIG EAST matchup will be streamed on FloFC.