St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
No. 16/15 Delaware
St. John’s Readies for Showdown with No. 16/15 Delaware
2/16/2024 11:51:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
The Red Storm and Blue Hens will square off for the second straight season
The St. John's men's lacrosse team will face its first nationally ranked opponent of 2024 on Saturday when it hosts No. 16/15 Delaware. Faceoff from DaSilva Memorial Field is set for 1 p.m.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with JJ Klein on the call and live stats will be available on RedStormSports.com. St. John's athletics will be giving away schedule posters and hot chocolate to fans.
The Red Storm (0-3) will play its third game in seven days against the Blue Hens after falling short against Quinnipiac, 17-11 last Saturday and at Hofstra, 17-13, on Tuesday.
Brian Kelly shined for the Jonnies against the Pride, tying his career high with five goals and adding an assist. The six points give Kelly 102 for his career, moving him into a tie for 13th place on the St. John's all-time points list. He also becomes the fourteenth player in Red Storm history to surpass the century mark. The junior needs 13 points to tie Eric DeJohn for 12th on the all-time scoring list. Through three games, Kelly leads the team in goals (8) and points (10). The Red Hook, N.Y., native recorded his 10th career hat trick and second four-goal performance against the Pride.
Junior midfielder Bobby Seel recorded his second consecutive four-point outing on Tuesday against Hofstra. Over the past two games, Seel has four goals and four helpers, bringing his point total for the season to nine, second on the team behind Kelly.
Caleb Zuhoski scored for the fifth consecutive game, extending his team-high point streak to seven games, both streaks dating back to 2023. Caiden Vlasimsky added three points (1 G, 2 A) against Hofstra, giving the junior seven points on the season. Freshman Richie Reid scored for the third-consecutive game against the Pride, becoming the first Red Storm freshman to record goals in their first three games since Kelly scored in six-straight contests to begin his rookie campaign in 2022.
Danny Seaman got his first start of the year between the pipes against Hofstra and made 10 saves.
The Red Storm continued its strong play on the clear to start the year, converting 17-of-20 clear attempts against Hofstra on Tuesday. On the year, St. John's has converted 58-of-65 opportunities on the clear. The 89.2 percent successful clear rate through the first three games of 2024 ranks 24th best in the nation.
On the flip side, St. John's has excelled defensively, only allowing opponents to convert on 77.5 percent of clear opportunities which is 10th best in the country.
St. John's ranks fourth in the nation and first in the BIG EAST in turnovers per game, only giving the ball away 13.0 times per contest.
Delaware (1-0) comes into Queens after beating Lafayette last Saturday in its season opener, 14-6. Mike Robinson scored seven goals for the 16th-ranked Blue Hens while Cam Acchione and JP Ward added two scores each. Delaware scored the first 11 goals of the game with the first five coming from Robinson's stick. The Blue Hens outshot Lafayette, 65-36, and won the groundball battle, 44-21. Delaware converted 22-of-25 clear opportunities.
The Blue Hens aim for their third straight CAA title in 2024 after finishing 13-5 overall and 6-1 in league play a season ago. Delaware was picked first in the CAA preseason poll for the second consecutive season, receiving six of eight first-place votes. Ward was named CAA Preseason Co-Player of the Year while Robinson, Acchione and Reed Kurtz were all named to the Preseason All-CAA Team.
Delaware leads the all-time series against St. John's, 2-0. When the two teams squared off last season in Newark, Del., the Blue Hens emerged with a 16-9 win.
Following Saturday's matchup in Queens, the Red Storm will hit the road to face No. 17/16 Richmond next Saturday. Faceoff in the first of three road contests for the Johnnies is set for noon.
