St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
Saint Joseph's
St. John’s Travels to Philadelphia to Face Saint Joseph’s
3/15/2024 11:21:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
The Red Storm is coming off two wins in its last three games
QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's lacrosse team will head to the City of Brotherly Love on Saturday to take on Saint Joseph's. Faceoff from Sean Sweeney Field is set for noon.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be available on RedStormSports.com.
The Red Storm is coming off its second win in its last three games, taking down Binghamton last Saturday, 13-6, at Belson Stadium. The Johnnies trailed 4-2 late in the second quarter but closed the game on an 11-2 run to clinch the victory.
Goaltender Kyle Munson made a season-best 15 saves on 21 shots faced between the pipes and was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week for his performance. Munson has nine games since the start of 2023 in which he had a save percentage over 50 percent and his 71.4 percent save rate against Binghamton was the highest of his St. John's career.
Bobby Seel earned a spot on the conference's weekly honor roll after he recorded a career-high six points with four goals and two assists. Seel has 15 goals this season which is tied for the team lead and surpasses his goal total from last season (8). His 23 points are also a career-best in a season. Saturday also extended the junior's team-best point and goal streak to nine games.
Brian Kelly added three goals and an assist for the Johnnies, stretching his point streak to seven games. With the four points, Kelly has 117 in his career, putting him into a tie for 10th place on the Red Storm's all-time points list. Saturday was the fifth time this season Kelly has recorded at least four points in a game. The Red Hook, N.Y., product has 15 goals and 10 assists this season and his 25 points lead the Johnnies.
Jake Wright has four goals in his last two games after netting a pair against Binghamton. In five games this season, Wright ranks sixth on the team with five points and has scored on 50 percent of the shots he has taken.
Dane Armstrong won 13-of-23 faceoffs against Binghamton, including six-of-eight in the fourth quarter. The UMBC transfer also scored the first goal of his Johnnies career in the fourth quarter against the Bearcats. On the season, Armstrong has won 50.7 percent of the 67 faceoffs he has taken.
The six goals the Johnnies gave up are the fewest allowed in a game since beating Dartmouth, 12-5, on March 17, 2018. Last Saturday was the first time St. John's overcame a 2-goal deficit to win since beating Hartford 13-11 on Feb. 15, 2020.
Following three losses to start the season, Saint Joseph's is coming off its second win in a row last Sunday against Drexel, 15-6. The Hawks took a 5-2 lead after the first quarter and never looked back. Matt Bohmer and Page Carter each netted four goals while Levi Anderson tallied a hat trick. Jesse Jason, Colin Reich and Toron Ecclesto each recorded multi-point outings. Defensively, Levi Verch caused a team-best three caused turnovers and scooped six ground balls. In net, Tommy Gross made four saves on 10 shots faced.
The Hawks have been led by a balanced scoring attack this season with five players totaling at least 11 points. Anderson has a team-high 15 points on nine goals and six assists while Page leads the squad with 12 goals. Verch has 10 caused turnovers, part of a Hawks defense that leads the Atlantic-10 with 9.8 caused turnovers per game. Saint Joseph's has excelled on the clear, converting 90.3 percent of its opportunities and leads the nation in opponent clear percentage, only allowing successful clears on 73 percent of attempts.
Saint Joseph's was picked to finish second in the Atlantic-10 preseason poll. Anderson, Page, Bohmer, and Patrick Clemens were all selected to the conference's Preseason All-Conference Team.
Saturday will mark the fifth all-time meeting between the two programs. Last season, the Hawks picked up a 16-10 win over the Red Storm on April 18, 2023, in Queens.
Following this weekend's matchup in Philadelphia, the Red Storm will head to Syracuse, N.Y., for the program's first-ever clash with Le Moyne. Faceoff is set for noon.
