Saint John's soccer plays host to St. Thomas for a crucial 3:30 p.m. match on Wednesday, Oct. 16, at Haws Field in Collegeville.

Preview Video:
-Head coach John Haws (0:39)

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (5-6-2, 3-2-1 MIAC) scored three goals in the final 28 minutes to defeat Bethel by a 4-1 score as part of Family Weekend last Saturday (Oct. 12) in Collegeville. Freshman Ryley Sullivan (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho/Gonzaga Prep, Wash.) gave SJU an early 1-0 lead with his first collegiate goal 12:26 into the match. Senior Joe Balder (Stillwater, Minn.) dribbled up the right side and found senior Michael Coborn (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral) at the top of the box. Bethel goalkeeper Chris Scott attempted to cut off Coborn's pass to Sullivan, but the two collided and the freshman hurdled the sliding keeper and possessed the ball for an easy goal. BU battled back to tie the match in the 20th minute (19:13). The Johnnies rallied around Balder, their senior co-captain who suffered a lower-leg injury in the 65th minute, with three goals en route to the victory. Sophomore Alex Niederloh (Maple Grove, Minn.) tallied what proved to be the game-winning goal at the 72:26 mark of the second half. Junior David Wee (Savage, Minn./Prior Lake) recorded his fifth goal of the season nine minutes later on a deep goal kick from sophomore Kevin Lebahn (New Hope, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's). Freshman Rocky Harmon (Hudson, Wis.) ended the scoring for SJU with his first collegiate goal with 1:50 remaining. Lebahn made 13 saves to earn the win and improve to 3-4-2 on the year. The Johnnies out-shot the Royals 16-10 in the second half to finish with a 26-24 edge for the match (15-14 on goal).

A LOOK AT THE TOMMIES: St. Thomas (8-2-3, 3-1-2 MIAC) saw its 11-game unbeaten streak come to an end, a streak that began with a 2-1 loss to Wartburg (Iowa) in the season opener Aug. 30, with a 1-0 loss at home to Gustavus Adolphus Oct. 12. Sophomore Miles Stockman-Willis, a transfer from Division I Northern Illinois, leads the Tommies in goals (10) and is tied with senior Nick Rapisarda for the team-lead in points with 22. The two, combined with Alex Bernhardt (5g/4a), account for 58 points (24g/10a) and seven of the team's eight game-winning goals. Stockman-Willis received a red card following the 1-0 loss Oct. 12 and will not be in action Wednesday. Junior Mitchell Wolff is 4-2-2 in eight starts between the pipes with a 1.27 GAA and a .718 save percentage (28 saves).

MIAC RACE: SJU enters Wednesday's match tied with Carleton for fourth in the MIAC standings with 10 points, one point behind the Tommies, with four league matches remaining. UST still has to play at St. Olaf (Oct. 26), vs. Carleton (Oct. 29) and at Augsburg (Nov. 2). The top four teams advance to the MIAC Playoffs following the regular-season finale Nov. 2.

REGIONAL RANKINGS: Five MIAC teams are listed in the latest National Soccer Coaches' Association of America (NSCAA) North Region rankings released Oct. 15: Gustavus Adolphus (No. 4), Carleton (No. 5), St. Thomas (No. 6), St. Olaf (No. 7) and Augsburg (T-No. 9). Wisconsin-Oshkosh sits atop the rankings, followed by Wartburg (Iowa) and Loras (Iowa).

LAST YEAR'S MEETING: Saint John's earned a point in the conference standings with a 2-2 tie at MIAC-leading St. Thomas last Oct. 13 (2012) in St. Paul. The Johnnies held the lead for a combined 31:30 of the match, 1-0 and 2-1, but could not come away with the victory. Junior Ian Scudder (Sherwood, Ore.) followed his Oct. 10 hat trick with another goal, his sixth of the season, to give SJU a 1-0 lead 27:20 into the match. Rapisarda tied the game at 1-1 for UST with his 11th goal of the season 4:07 into the second half. Junior Zane Heinselman (River Falls, Wis.) gave the lead back to the Johnnies with his fifth goal of the year at the 77:29 mark, but Mark Smith salvaged the tie for the Tommies with 2:48 remaining. Lebahn made one save for the Johnnies in net. Shots were even at 19, though SJU held a 6-3 advantage on goal. Fouls were whistled to a tune of 18-12 in favor of SJU.

SERIES HISTORY: SJU leads the series with a 20-13-5 record since 1979, including an 8-5-3 record in Collegeville. The Johnnies, however, are 0-4-2 in the last six meetings with UST overall and have not defeated the Tommies in Collegeville since 2005 (2-1 in overtime).