By Frank Rajkowski, SJU Writer/Video Producer

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - Kagan Foster and Ben Becker are not only teammates, but close friends as well.

The seniors are even roommates, along with four other members of the Saint John's soccer team.

But, if pressed, both will admit to a light-hearted, yet competitive rivalry that exists between them.

The reason for that is simple. The forwards play the same position and rotate with one another throughout the course of the Johnnies' matches.

"We're really good friends, and the most important thing for both of us always is the team's success," Foster said. "But we do compete against each other for minutes. And when one of us is playing well, the other wants the chance to get out there and top it.

"So in that way we push each other. And we make each other better."

Those minutes have been pretty much equal this season, including situations when both players have been on the field at the same time. Johnnies coach John Haws said those situations are expected to increase in his team's three final regular-season games.

Each has already taken advantage of the opportunities they have been granted so far.

With three regular-season games to go, Foster leads the team in scoring with nine goals and two assists (20 points), while Becker ranks second with seven goals and four assists (18 points). 

If both reach the 10-goal mark, it would be the first time two Saint John's players have done so in the same season since 2005.

"They're both great athletes," Haws said. "But Becker is probably better able to find his way to the net through athleticism. Kagan is a little trickier and shiftier with the ball. They bring different attributes. 

"On most teams in our conference, they'd each be 90-minute players. They're that talented."

This season marks the first time both players have been healthy at the same time since they were freshmen.

As a sophomore, Becker saw action in just five matches due to a hamstring injury. While last season, Foster played in only six matches because of a concussion.

"He has a couple more goals than me so far, so I'm really going to have to get it revved up the next couple of games," Becker said with a smile.

"But really, it comes down to one value that we talk a lot about on this team – iron sharpens iron. You want to be competing against talented players because that makes you better too.

"And, at the end of the day, if the team is successful, that's what matters most."

Both players are legacy students at SJU, following in the footsteps of family members who came before them. Foster's father, Sean, competed in track and field for the Johnnies in the mid-1980s.

"I've always known I'd be coming to Saint John's," the Alexandria High School graduate said. "My grandfather came to this country from Ireland and his first stop was Saint John's. He graduated from here. My Dad came here and absolutely loved it. And I grew up fairly nearby. So we were out here a lot when I was growing up."

"My parents actually met here," added Becker, a graduate of the Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield. "I looked at a couple of other places. But Saint John's lined up best with what I wanted to go to school for."

Becker is an economics major with a minor in accounting who would like to work in the financial field. Foster is an accounting major who has already accepted a job after graduation at a public accounting firm in Minneapolis.

Both maintain GPAs of above 3.6.

"Academics are very important to both of us," Foster said. "That's the reason we're all here – to get an education. That's always the top priority."

But soccer has its place too. And the Johnnies (8-6, 4-4 MIAC) right in the middle of the race for a spot in the MIAC playoffs.

With two conference matches left on the schedule – at Bethel next Tuesday and home against Carleton on Nov. 2 – Saint John's is tied with St. Olaf (8-6, 4-3 MIAC) for fourth place in the conference standings with 12 points.

The top six teams make the playoff field.

"We just have to keep looking forward," said Foster, whose team began the season 8-3, but have dropped three in a row – two in double overtime.

"We can't look back at past results. Right now, it's all about the next game in front of us. Those are the only games we can control. 

"We're preparing for every game like it could be our last. We're going to leave everything out there each time out."