St. John's University Athletics
Friday, September 18
Queens, N.Y. (Cox Family Field at Belson Stadium)
7 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
Villanova
Men’s Soccer Begins BIG EAST Play on Friday Night against Villanova
9/17/2026 1:27:00 PM | Men's Soccer
The Johnnies are 22-11-7 all-time in BIG EAST openers
QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's men's soccer team will open BIG EAST play on Friday night when it welcomes Villanova for a 7 p.m. showdown at Cox Family Field at Belson Stadium.
The 46th meeting between the Johnnies and Wildcats will be streamed on ESPN+ with Johnny Gadamowitz on the call from Queens. All fans should make sure to wear the color white for the "White Out" game. The first 250 fans will receive a custom St. John's Soccer "Storm Warning" t-shirt courtesy of Vincent's Clam Bar.
The Red Storm is fresh off a shutout victory over Fordham, 2-0, on Sunday night at home. After a second yellow card late in the first half left the Rams down a player for the final 54 minutes, St. John's capitalized with a pair of second half goals to down its cross-borough foe.
Travis Thompson headed home the game-winner for his second goal of the season off the set piece delivery from Aron Wilhelmsen in the 67th minute. 12 minutes later, Issa Atcha Yaya made a splash in his first collegiate start doubling the lead off a dish from Andrew Porucznik.
The Red Storm (3-3-0, 0-0-0 BIG EAST) defensive unit led by goalkeeper Nico Bezama did not allow a single shot on target and tallied its third clean sheet of the 2026 campaign.
The Johnnies have cruised when getting on the board first this season posting a 3-0 record when adding the first tally. Since the beginning of the 2010 season, the Red Storm is 125-13-12 when scoring the first goal, including a 9-1 mark in the aforementioned scenario over the last two seasons.
The Red Storm will embark on BIG EAST competition for the 41st straight year, since the league introduced men's soccer in 1985. The Johnnies hold a 22-11-7 all-time record in BIG EAST openers and a 18-10-7 mark under the direction of Dr. Dave Masur. The Johnnies have captured nine BIG EAST Regular Season titles and seven league tournament titles.
St. John's and Villanova will meet for the 41st consecutive year and the 46th time ever with the Red Storm leading the all-time series 28-11-6. In the 22 contests played in Queens, the Johnnies have gone 16-4-2.
The Red Storm enter Friday's BIG EAST opener having won four of the last meetings with the Wildcats. In last year's game, Coach Masur's group downed Villanova, 3-1, on Nov. 1, 2025.
The Wildcats come into Friday's tilt with a 3-2-1 overall record and have lost their last two outings. Villanova started the year with a 3-0-1 record through four matches, that included a trio of 1-0 victories over Temple, Saint Peter's and Fordham.
Flynn Lahrsen leads the Wildcats offensive with a pair of goals and 12 total shots. In net, two-time BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week Alex Yagudayev has emerged as one of the most impressive netminders in the country. The Brooklyn native will make his homecoming boasting three shutouts and a 0.40 goals against average, the latter of which ranks sixth in NCAA Division I.
The junior additionally ranks ninth in the country with 31 total saves through six matches. On Sept. 1, the former NYCFC Academy product faced 43 shots from the Fordham attack and still collected a clean sheet, while making 13 stops.
Following Friday's contest, St. John's will jump back into non-conference action when it faces UNC Wilmington on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. kick-off in North Carolina.
The 46th meeting between the Johnnies and Wildcats will be streamed on ESPN+ with Johnny Gadamowitz on the call from Queens. All fans should make sure to wear the color white for the "White Out" game. The first 250 fans will receive a custom St. John's Soccer "Storm Warning" t-shirt courtesy of Vincent's Clam Bar.
The Red Storm is fresh off a shutout victory over Fordham, 2-0, on Sunday night at home. After a second yellow card late in the first half left the Rams down a player for the final 54 minutes, St. John's capitalized with a pair of second half goals to down its cross-borough foe.
Travis Thompson headed home the game-winner for his second goal of the season off the set piece delivery from Aron Wilhelmsen in the 67th minute. 12 minutes later, Issa Atcha Yaya made a splash in his first collegiate start doubling the lead off a dish from Andrew Porucznik.
The Red Storm (3-3-0, 0-0-0 BIG EAST) defensive unit led by goalkeeper Nico Bezama did not allow a single shot on target and tallied its third clean sheet of the 2026 campaign.
The Johnnies have cruised when getting on the board first this season posting a 3-0 record when adding the first tally. Since the beginning of the 2010 season, the Red Storm is 125-13-12 when scoring the first goal, including a 9-1 mark in the aforementioned scenario over the last two seasons.
The Red Storm will embark on BIG EAST competition for the 41st straight year, since the league introduced men's soccer in 1985. The Johnnies hold a 22-11-7 all-time record in BIG EAST openers and a 18-10-7 mark under the direction of Dr. Dave Masur. The Johnnies have captured nine BIG EAST Regular Season titles and seven league tournament titles.
St. John's and Villanova will meet for the 41st consecutive year and the 46th time ever with the Red Storm leading the all-time series 28-11-6. In the 22 contests played in Queens, the Johnnies have gone 16-4-2.
The Red Storm enter Friday's BIG EAST opener having won four of the last meetings with the Wildcats. In last year's game, Coach Masur's group downed Villanova, 3-1, on Nov. 1, 2025.
The Wildcats come into Friday's tilt with a 3-2-1 overall record and have lost their last two outings. Villanova started the year with a 3-0-1 record through four matches, that included a trio of 1-0 victories over Temple, Saint Peter's and Fordham.
Flynn Lahrsen leads the Wildcats offensive with a pair of goals and 12 total shots. In net, two-time BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week Alex Yagudayev has emerged as one of the most impressive netminders in the country. The Brooklyn native will make his homecoming boasting three shutouts and a 0.40 goals against average, the latter of which ranks sixth in NCAA Division I.
The junior additionally ranks ninth in the country with 31 total saves through six matches. On Sept. 1, the former NYCFC Academy product faced 43 shots from the Fordham attack and still collected a clean sheet, while making 13 stops.
Following Friday's contest, St. John's will jump back into non-conference action when it faces UNC Wilmington on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. kick-off in North Carolina.
Players Mentioned
DEF
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's Soccer
MID
/ Men's Soccer
FWD
/ Men's Soccer
MID
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