Saint John's soccer (4-3, 0-2 MIAC) hosts No. 20 Gustavus Adolphus (7-1, 1-1 MIAC) for Homecoming this Saturday, Sept. 24. The match is scheduled for 3 p.m. at George Durenberger Field in Collegeville.
Preview Video:
-Head coach John Haws (0:36)
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's plays host to Gustavus Adolphus seeking its first conference win. The Johnnies started the 2011 season 4-0 but have lost three consecutive one-goal games, including road matches at MIAC-preseason favorites Macalester (1-0) and Carleton (2-1 OT) to open the conference schedule. Miles Silbert's goal 57 seconds into the first overtime gave Carleton a 2-1 win over SJU last Saturday in Northfield. Sophomore Michael Coborn (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral) gave SJU a 1-0 lead with his seventh goal of the season 26:57 into the match. Fellow sophomore Simon Plata (Annandale, Minn./Saint John's Prep) collected the assist. The one-goal lead stood until Will Corcoran tied the match in the 58th minute for the Knights, with an assist to Silbert. Sophomore Ryan Brutger (St. Cloud, Minn./Apollo) made five saves in the loss for the Johnnies. The Johnnies have now lost each of their last five meetings with Carleton, three of which were decided in overtime.
INJURY REPORT: SJU played without its second- and third-leading scorers last Saturday at Carleton. Freshman Ian Scudder (Sherwood, Ore.) suffered an ankle injury when a Macalester player tackled him from behind in the 1-0 loss to the Scots Sept. 14. The Scot received a yellow card for the foul. Fellow freshman Zane Heinselman (River Falls, Wis.) suffered a concussion late in the Macalester match. Scudder (2g/3a) is expected to play Saturday, while Heinselman (2g/1a) is a game-time decision.
COBORN IN THE NATIONAL STAT RANKINGS: According to the first NCAA Division III Men's Soccer statistical report released Sept. 18, SJU's Michael Coborn is tied for fourth in all of Division III in total points (20) and assists (6), 10th in assists per game (0.86) and points per game (2.86), tied for 13th in goals (7) and tied for 18th in goals per game (1.00).
A LOOK AT THE GUSTIES: The Gusties, ranked No. 20 nationally, fell to St. Olaf (2-1) in their first MIAC match and stormed back with a 7-0 drubbing of Concordia-Moorhead last Saturday. Gustavus started the season with a 5-0 record, including a victory over then No. 14-ranked UC-Santa Cruz. GAC recently defeated Buena Vista (Iowa) by a 5-0 decision Wednesday. The Gusties held the Beavers to zero shots in the match. Senior Mark Adams leads the team, and is second behind SJU's Michael Coborn in the MIAC, with 19 points (7g/35a). Freshman Zack Brown (5g/2a) and senior Jackson Zoellner (3g/7a) are also ranked in the MIAC's top five in points. Since 1979, the Johnnies are 14-13-7 against the Gusties, including a 7-5-4 record in Collegeville.
REGIONAL RANKINGS: The Johnnies dropped out of the 10-team National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) North region rankings released Sept. 20. The Gusties, meanwhile, are currently tied for second in the region and ranked No. 20 nationally.
LAST YEAR'S MEETING: Saint John's and Gustavus played to a scoreless 0-0 tie last Sept. 25 in St. Peter. Goalkeeper Matt Anderson '11 made six saves in the first 67:51 of the match before being relieved in net by senior Mike Sikich (Apple Valley, Minn.), who made two stops. Coborn led SJU with two shots on goal.
