St. John’s to Visit No. 12 North Carolina on Friday

Friday, September 6

Chapel Hill, NC

7 p.m.

St. John's University

No. 12 North Carolina

St. John’s to Visit No. 12 North Carolina on Friday

9/5/2024 10:09:00 AM | Men's Soccer

Watch (ACCNX)Live Stats Game Notes (PDF)

Red Storm and Tar Heels will meet for first time since 2003

QUEENS, N.Y. – Fresh off its second-straight win, the St. John's men's soccer team will head down to Chapel Hill for a Friday match against No. 12 North Carolina. Friday's contest will be streamed on ACCNX and live stats will be available on RedStormSports.com.

St. John's remained unbeaten at home with a 3-0 victory over UAlbany on Sunday. Martin Kozak, Dechlyn Hauge and Macoumba Ba all scored in the contest, while goalkeeper Alec McLachlan registered a trio of saves in the clean-sheet win. Eric Danquah and Thomas Lamaille each recorded three shots and an assist in the win.

Red Storm Head Coach Dr. David Masur earned his 399^th victory in Queens on Sunday, looking to become just the seventh men's soccer coach in NCAA history to reach the 400-win plateau with a singular Division I program. Masur will also be the second active Division I head coach to reach the milestone, joining Maryland's Sasho Cirovski (430). St. John's is also closing in on 500 triumphs as a program, sitting with 498 victories entering Friday's slate.

Ba is tied with fellow winger Miguel Diaz for the team lead in goals with two. The Dakar, Senegal native netted both of his strikes on penalty kicks, identical to the way he started the 2023 campaign. The 2024 Preseason All-BIG EAST selection and his perfect 2-for-2 mark from the dot are atop the NCAA, becoming one of 11 players to register two or more PK goals on the season. Ba is also ranked 12th in the nation with a 75 percent shot accuracy entering Friday's slate, seeing 6-of-8 shot attempts put on target.

The Johnnies and Tar Heels will square off for the third time in program history, meeting for the first time since 2003. St. John's will look to secure its highest-ranked win since Oct. 28, 2017, when it took down No. 10 Georgetown, 1-0, at home behind a game-winning strike from David Enstrom. That win also marked Masur's 400th career win.

The Red Storm will also search for its first road ranked win against a non-conference opponent in more than a decade when the Johnnies upset No. 8 William & Mary with a 3-0 clean sheet on Sept. 1, 2011. Jack Bennett, Adrian L'Esperance and Nick Matthews all scored in the contest, while goalkeeper Rafael Diaz picked up the clean sheet with a trio of saves.

North Carolina (3-0-1) enters Friday's contest unbeaten and ranked 12th in the nation. UNC dominated East Tennessee State, 6-0, featuring a brace from Martin Vician and Luke Hille. Vician is fourth in the country with five goals and 4.8 shots per game. His 10 total points are also good for sixth.

The Tar Heels have scored 10 goals and surrendered just one tally in four matches this season, ranking seventh in the nation in goal differential (+9) and shutout percentage (.750). Goalkeeper Andrew Cordes is 11th in NCAA Division I with a .250 goals against average, while being one of three goalies with three clean sheets this season.

Following its match in Chapel Hill, the Johnnies will return to Queens to take on Ivy League foe Princeton in a 7 p.m. match at Belson Stadium on Tuesday. The Red Storm and Tigers will square off for the 17^th time in program history with St. John's earning wins in three of its last four meetings.