The Johnnies (1-0-0, 0-0-0 MIAC) travel to Mequon, Wis., for a pair of matches this weekend. SJU is scheduled to face the host Falcons at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, followed by a neutral-site contest against the Milwaukee School of Engineering (Wis.) at 1 p.m. Sunday.
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's opened its 2011 season with a 2-0 shutout of Minnesota-Morris on a steamy Sept. 1 in Collegeville. Freshman Lucas Wagner (Munich, Germany/Gymnasium Vaterstetten) gave SJU a 1-0 lead with 3:54 left in the first half. He took a pass from fellow freshman Josh Whitaker (Milwaukie, Ore.), dribbled through the defense and laced a shot to the far corner for his first collegiate goal. Second-year head coach John Haws started the second half with one junior, five sophomores and five freshmen on the field. The young group made its impact almost immediately as freshman David Wee (Savage, Minn./Prior Lake) tallied his first collegiate goal with an assist to sophomore Michael Coborn (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral). Senior keeper Mike Sikich (Apple Valley, Minn.) earned the win by making three stops in the first 45 minutes. Sophomore Ryan Brutger (St. Cloud, Minn./Apollo) made one save in the second half. The Johnnies are now 20-6-2 in the season opener since 1984 (the last season-opening loss was 1999).
INJURY REPORT: Sophomore defender Joe Balder (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area) left Thursday's season opener just 7:43 into the match after colliding with a Minnesota-Morris player in an attempt to head the ball in front of the opponents' net. He received 12 stitches above his right eye and is questionable for this weekend's matches.
A LOOK AT THE FALCONS: Like SJU, the Falcons opened their season with a 2-0 win over St. Norbert (Wis.) Thursday. CUW is led by two returning All-Northern Athletics Conference (NAC) First-Team honorees, sophomore defender Jacob Pope (Muskego, Wis.) and junior midfielder Kyle Sytsma (Antioch, Ill.). Sytsma led the Falcons last season with 27 points (11g/5a). Head Coach Tom Saleska returns for his 19th season will all four defensive players from last season returning: senior Bryan Samuel (Brookfield, Wis.), junior Jason Rogers (Glendale, Wis.), senior Jacob Streicher (West Allis, Wis.) and sophomore Jacob Pope (Muskego, Wis.). The Johnnies are 2-1-1 all-time against Concordia (Wis.), including a 1-1-0 mark in Mequon, Wis. The two teams tied the last meeting on Sept. 3, 2006, in Collegeville.
A LOOK AT THE RAIDERS: The Johnnies will meet the Milwaukee School of Engineering (Wis.) Raiders for the first time on Sunday. The Raiders have finished in the top four of the NAC during the past three seasons. Last fall, the Raiders finished third in the conference with a record of 8-3 in and were 10-9 overall. The Raiders will be a formidable opponent with all 11 starters returning to the field this season, including standout senior midfielder Dan Hosko (Pittsburgh, Penn./Keystone Oaks), who was named First Team All-NAC. He led the team with 25 points (8g/9a). The Raiders open their 2011 season against Wisconsin-Superior in Mequon, Wis., Saturday. SJU plays host to Superior next Friday, Sept. 9.
