St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
No. 5 Wake Forest
Men’s Soccer Readies for Showdown at No. 5 Wake Forest
8/30/2025 8:58:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Red Storm bring momentum down to Winston-Salem after 5-0 win over New Hampshire on Thursday
QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's men's soccer team (2-1, 0-0 BIG EAST) will ready for a marquee showdown with No. 5 Wake Forest (2-0, 0-0 ACC) fresh off a 5-0 victory over New Hampshire on Thursday night.
The Red Storm will venture down to Winston-Salem, N.C. to face a top-five opponent in the Demon Deacons on Sunday night at 7 p.m. The contest will be streamed on ACC Network Xtra with Kyle Bonn and Ty Collins on the call from Spry Stadium. Live stats will be available on RedStormSports.com.
The Red Storm will look to carry momentum after a historic home opener on Thursday night in the 5-0 rout of the Wildcats. Freshman Guilherme Gomes, in just his third collegiate game became the first St. John's player since Fred Bischoff on Oct. 23, 1982 to score four goals in a single-game. The rookie tallied a hat trick in just a 6:14 span and broke the school freshman record with his fourth tally in the 76th minute.
Gomes became the first BIG EAST player since Riggs Lennon of Creighton on Sept. 24, 2016 to score four goals or more in a regular season match. The Sao Paolo, Brazil native currently ranks second in NCAA Division I in goals (4) and fifth in total points (8).
Luca Fargnoli added the fifth goal in Thursday's victory bouncing one off the post from a tough angle as St. John's earned its largest margin of victory in a home opener since Sept. 10, 2010, when it downed FDU, 5-0.
Four players- Gabin Thomelier, Antonio Biggs, Godwin Partey and Jeremy Sharp tallied assists in Thursday's win. The Johnnies ranked atop the conference and 28th in the country with 16 total points on the season (6 goals, 4 assists). All six of the Red Storm's goals have been recorded by underclassmen.
Alec McLachlan has been stellar in net posting two clean sheets in three appearances. The senior holds a 0.67 GAA and a .714 save rate in the early-going of the 2025 campaign.
St. John's is seeking its first win over a top-five opponent since it defeated then-No. 5 Georgetown with 10-men, 1-0, on Nov. 2, 2013. The last road victory over a top-five ranked squad came 20 years when the Johnnies cruised past then-No. 2 Duke, 4-0, on Sept. 11, 2005.
Wake Forest, currently ranked No. 5 in the latest edition of the United Soccer Coaches' Top-25 poll enters Sunday's contest with a 2-0 record on the year. After the Demon Deacons opening match of the year against Maryland was canceled due to weather, the squad has racked up victories over UCF and Oral Roberts.
The Demon Deacons are unbeaten in their last 14 matches inside Spry Stadium and are slated to play their entire non-conference slate at home this season. Wake Forest is led by MAC Hermann Watch List choice and 2024 All-America Third Team selection Cooper Flax. The Long Island native led the squad in points (19) and goals (9) last year.
Sunday's meeting will mark the fourth between the two powerhouse programs and first in 22 years. The two sides met three times between 2000-03 and the series is tied 1-1-1.
Following Sunday's match, the Red Storm will return to Queens to face another top-five opponent as it begins a four-match homestand against No. 2 Marshall on Friday at 7 p.m.
