St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
Bryant
St. John’s Hits the Road to Face Bryant on Saturday
3/7/2025 11:07:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
The Johnnies and Bulldogs will square off for the first time
QUEENS, N.Y. – Following a four-game homestand, the St. John's lacrosse team will hit the road for the first time in nearly a month when it travels to Smithfield, R.I., to face Bryant on Saturday. Faceoff from Beirne Stadium is set for noon.
The first-ever meeting between the two northeast opponents will be streamed on America East TV, and live stats will be available on RedStormSports.com.
The Johnnies (2-4) are coming off a historic performance by rookie netminder Matt Nelson, who made a season-high 20 saves in the Red Storm's 20-8 setback against No. 17/17 Fairfield on Tuesday in Queens. Nelson's 20 stops are the most by a St. John's goalkeeper since Kyle Munson had 23 against Providence in 2023.
Brian Kelly tallied his third hat trick of the season against the Stags, marking the fifth time this season the senior has eclipsed the three-point mark in a game. Through six contests in 2025, Kelly leads the team with 27 points and 16 goals. The Red Hook, N.Y., native is 22nd in the country, second in the BIG EAST, with 4.5 points per contest, and second in the conference with 2.7 goals per contest.
The three points against Fairfield give Kelly 163 for his career, putting him in fourth place on the St. John's all-time scoring list.
Three freshmen have combined for 37 points this season through six games this season under third-year Head Coach Justin Turri.
After missing two games, Ryan Ormond returned for the Johnnies on Tuesday, scoring a goal and dishing the first two helpers of his career. In just four games in 2025, the former BIG EAST Freshman of the Week is second on the team with 13 scores and third on the squad with 15 points.
Jayson Cardenas continued his productive run against Fairfield, tallying his sixth goal and third assist of the season, while Mitch Campbell earned his 13th point of the season on an assist.
Senior midfielder Bobby Seel scored a goal and added an assist against Fairfield for his fourth-straight multipoint game of 2025. The two points extended his active point streak to 22 games, dating back to the final game of the 2023 season. The Garden City, N.Y., product has found the back of the net in every game this season.
With his assist on Tuesday, first-year captain Adrian Nowak is second in the conference and 14th in Division I lacrosse with 2.33 helpers per game.
The Johnnies have been stout defensively this season, standing atop the BIG EAST leaderboards with 10.2 caused turnovers and 14.3 saves per game, while the squad's 32 round balls each contest is the second highest in the conference. Led by junior Edgar Ford, the Red Storm's man-down defense is ninth in the nation and best in the BIG EAST, allowing goals on just 18.7 percent of such situations.
The strong Red Storm backline has been led by freshman Quinn Falasca and sophomore Dylan Lee, who are both top three in the conference in caused turnovers. Falasca had two forced giveaways against Fairfield last Tuesday, giving him 12 on the season. He also leads the Johnnies with 21 groundballs. His 3.5 loose balls per game is the sixth most in the conference and second-best among non-specialists.
Bryant dropped a close contest on Tuesday against Brown, 10-8, falling to 2-3 on the season. The Bulldogs have wins over Quinnipiac and Merrimack and have fallen short against Providence and Ohio State.
Bryant has been a strong scoring team so far this season, owning the best scoring offense in the America East, netting 12.4 goals per game. They also lead the conference with 7.4 helpers per contest and 19.8 points per game. They clear the ball at a high rate, converting 90 percent of attempts, which is the eighth-best in the country.
Dawson Rielly leads Bryant offensively, netting a team-high 14 goals to go along with three assists. Brian Russell and Jack Lonsinger also have eclipsed double digits this year, tallying 15 and 14 points, respectively. 13 Bulldogs have found the back of the net this season, and 15 have registered at least one point.
Defensively, the Bulldogs are 10th in the nation, causing 10.6 turnovers each game. Aj Monaco and Luke Mead are tied for the team lead with five each, while Tanner Alexander has four. Between the pipes, Scott Einarson has been magnificent, stopping 56.2 percent of the shots he has faced and allowing just over nine goals each game.
JJ Murphy has taken the majority of the faceoffs for Bryant, winning 58-of-103 draws.
Following this weekend's trip to Rhode Island, the Johnnies will have a quick turnaround when they travel to New Jersey on Tuesday to face Rutgers. Faceoff from SHI Stadium is set for 3 p.m.
