Saint John's soccer opens its 2021 season with a non-conference game against St. Scholastica at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 1, in Duluth. – Live Stats | Live Video

SEASON OPENERS: The Johnnies are 27-9-4 in season openers since 1981, including a 19-2-2 record in Collegeville.

SEE YOU IN OCTOBER: St. Scholastica is a new member of the MIAC this season, but the season opener has been designated as a non-conference tilt. The two programs meet again on the North Shore, this time in MIAC play, Oct. 26.

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: A full, close-to-normal season. 

Fingers crossed. That is what the Saint John's soccer team is looking forward to in 2021.

After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the postponement of the fall season in 2020, the Johnnies played an abbreviated, six-game schedule in the spring and compiled a 2-3-1 record. Aside from the scoreless tie, the other five matches were decided by 2-1 scores. SJU finished fourth in the MIAC with a 6-4-0 record (10-8-1 overall) and advanced to the MIAC Playoff semifinals in their last full season of play in 2019.

Seven of Eight Return
SJU returns seven of the eight student-athletes who recorded a point during the six-game spring schedule. The eighth was the team's statistical leader, midfielder Paul Wadsworth '21, who led the team in goals (2), assists (4) and points (8). The Johnnies' other five goal scorers from 2020-21 netted one tally apiece: junior midfielder Cavin Allen (Excelsior, Minn./Chanhassen), junior forward Ryan Erickson (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Eagan), junior defender Aidan Becken (Prior Lake, Minn.), senior midfielder Tommy Picka (Victoria, Minn./Chaska) and sophomore midfielder Kaidan Popp (Redmond, Wash./Mount Si). The goals by Erickson and Picka were game-winners, while Allen also added an assist.

All-MIAC Honorable Mention Returnee 
Of the All-MIAC honorees from 2019, either first team or honorable mention, only junior midfielder Matt D. Anderson (Omaha, Neb./Creighton Prep) has not graduated. Anderson was an honorable mention selection in 2019 after he played 16 games (15 starts) as a freshman and scored three goals, two of which were game-winners. His three goals and eight points (3g/2a) ranked fourth on the team. Anderson played all six games last spring and recorded an assist.

In Net
Junior Jake Swanson (Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Jefferson) played all 562:53 in net last spring and registered the 2-3-1 record with a 1.28 GAA and .805 save percentage (33 saves).

SJU has three other goalkeepers on the roster this fall: junior Sam Anderson (Apple Valley, Minn./Holy Angels), sophomore Caiden Hennen (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori) and freshman Evan Siefken (Lakeville, Minn./North). Siefken was named to the Minneapolis Star Tribune's 2020 All-Metro first team.

The Non-Conference Slate
The Johnnies' 2021 schedule is an even split, with eight games at home and eight on the road. The first six contests are non-conference, beginning with the final non-league bout against St. Scholastica Sept. 1 in Duluth. 

SJU follows the Sept. 1 season opener with three straight home games - Sept. 4 vs. Wisconsin-Platteville, Sept. 6 vs. Puget Sound (Wash.) and Sept. 8 vs. Division II St. Cloud State - before making trips to Wisconsin-Whitewater (Sept. 11) and Minnesota-Morris (Sept. 14). The showdown with the new SCSU program was originally scheduled for 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic had other ideas. 

Home Cookin' on the Weekends
SJU's remaining five home games are scheduled to take place on the weekend, with one on Friday (Sept. 24 vs. Gustavus Adolphus), three on Saturdays and one on Sunday (Oct. 17 vs. Hamline). Two of the Saturday home games follow SJU football: Oct. 9/Homecoming vs. St. Olaf (4 p.m.) and Oct. 30 vs. Carleton (3:30 p.m.). The Johnnies are 34-24-5 (.579) in eight seasons at Haws Field. Seventeen of the 24 losses were decided by one goal.

MIAC Playoffs
For the seventh consecutive season, the MIAC Playoffs will include six teams in 2021. The first round is scheduled for Nov. 1, followed by the semifinals Nov. 3. The MIAC Playoff Championship, which will decide the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs, is scheduled for Nov. 6. The contest's higher seed will host the games in all three rounds.

A LOOK AT THE SAINTS: St. Scholastica posted a 6-3 record (5-2 UMAC) during the 2021 spring season, including a 4-0 start (out-scoring the opposition 20-0), following an 8-13-1 (6-1-1 UMAC) mark in 2019. CSS is without its stat leader from last spring, Keegan Chastey, who posted team highs in points (19), goals (6), assists (7) and shots (33). The Saints do, however, return senior forward Jordan Finneran, who finished second on the team in goals (4) and assists (4). Senior midfielder Finigan Huffington (4g/3a) and junior midfielder Miki Lumsden (3g/4a) also return. Sophomore goalkeeper Liam Lothian was 3-3 with a 1.51 GAA and a .640 save percentage (16 saves) in the spring. St. Scholastica's roster is comprised of 18 international players from 10 different countries this season.

IN 2019: Saint John's broke a 1-1 tie with two goals in the game's final 20 minutes to earn a 3-1 victory over St. Scholastica the last time these two teams met on Sept. 1, 2019, in Duluth.

Allen made the most of his second collegiate appearance, as he scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 71st minute. With just over eight minutes of play accrued, Allen curled a shot from just outside the 18' to the back post for the go-ahead tally for SJU. 

In addition to his assist on Allen's goal, forward Ben Becker '20 added some insurance with his first goal of the season at the 85:01 mark. Junior forward Brandt Belisle (St. Paul, Minn./St. Croix Prep) ripped a shot off the CSS goalkeeper and the ball caromed to Becker for an easy put-back.

Kagan Foster '20 got SJU out to a strong start with his second goal in as many days, 15:56 into the game. Midfielder Paul Wadsworth '21 spun between two defenders and led Foster, who tucked it nicely to the back of the net. 

Malcolm Lumsden tied the game at 1-1 for St. Scholastica on a penalty kick in the 60th minute.

Goalkeeper Nicholas French '20 made five saves in the victory. SJU out-shot the Saints 22-10 (8-6 on goal) and held a slight edge in corner kicks, 8-7.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 14-1 all-time against the Saints, including a 5-0 record in Duluth. SJU's lone loss in the series occurred on the home pitch in 1980.