St. John’s Drops BIG EAST Opener against Villanova

Saturday, March 28

Queens, N.Y. (Cox Family Field at Belson Stadium)

1 p.m.

St. John's University

2-8, 0-1

Villanova

4-5, 1-0

Villanova

St. John's (N.Y.)

St. John’s Drops BIG EAST Opener against Villanova

3/28/2026 5:02:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

The Red Storm is back in action on April 4 when it meets Marquette

QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's lacrosse team fell to Villanova (4-5, 1-0 BIG EAST) on Saturday afternoon, 21-7 in Queens.

The Red Storm built an early lead before a Wildcats run in the second quarter propelled them to a victory on the opening day of BIG EAST play.

Matt Nelson recorded his ninth double-digit save performance in Queens, tallying 15 on the day. Danny Seaman collected three saves of his own
Seven Johnnies got on the scoreboard against the Wildcats including Henry Coke's first goal in a St. John's uniform.

Villanova opened the scoring just 28 seconds into the contest before Coke responded one minute later to even the game at 1-1. Following a stretch of empty possessions on both sides, Noah Plenn gave the Red Storm a 2-1 lead with 9:23 remaining in the first quarter. Nelson came up with a pair of crucial saves in the frame to keep St. John's in front. After a five-minute scoring lull, Villanova found the equalizer to make it 2-2.

The Wildcats were then assessed a one-minute penalty with 3:44 to play, which the Johnnies capitalized on as Jake Wright finished a net-front opportunity to restore a 3-2 advantage. Villanova answered less than a minute later, tying the game at 3-3, heading into the second quarter.

Villanova struck first in the second quarter, scoring two minutes into the frame to take the lead. Chase Huggard answered for the Red Storm with a top-corner finish, evening the score at 4-4 with 12:31 remaining. St. John's carried that momentum as Brody Hergott connected from distance to give the Johnnies a 5-4 advantage.

Both teams then settled in, trading empty possessions over the next five minutes before Villanova erupted for seven consecutive goals to take an 11-5 lead into halftime.

Nelson opened the second half with four saves, denying multiple net-front opportunities to keep the Red Storm within striking distance. The teams remained scoreless through the first eight minutes of the third quarter until Villanova extended its lead to 12-5 with 7:18 to play.

Following a caused turnover by the St. John's defense, Mitch Campbell recorded a goal at the 6:11 mark to trim the deficit to six. Villanova responded with five straight goals to push its advantage to 11 heading into the fourth quarter.

Owen Rogers got the fourth started with a net front goal seven seconds into the quarter. Villanova would answer two minutes later to regain the 10-goal lead. The two teams would trade empty possession over the next six minutes until the Wildcats added a trio of goals to wrap the game, 21-7.

Following Saturday's setback, the Red Storm will be back in action on April 4 to take on Marquette. Face-off from Cox Family Field at Belson Stadium is set for 1 p.m.