The Johnnie soccer team travels to Hamline for a 3:30 p.m. game on Saturday, Oct. 15, in St. Paul. – Live Stats/Live Video

PRE-GAME ALUMNI SOCIAL: SJU soccer alumni and friends are invited to gather prior to Saturday's game from 1-3 p.m. at BlackStack Brewing in St. Paul (755 Prior Ave. North). Appetizers will be provided and a cash bar will be available. - Register

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (5-3-3, 2-3-1 MIAC) controlled the game from start to finish but fell to Bethel by a score of 2-1 on Wednesday (Oct. 12) at Haws Field. The Johnnies out-shot the Royals by a 24-9 margin (14-7 on goal), tallied a 9-2 advantage in corner kicks and possessed the ball for 64 percent of the game.

Junior forward Kaidan Popp (Redmond, Wash./Mount Si) blasted a shot to the underside of the crossbar seven minutes into the game and the Johnnies had a number of point-blank opportunities in the first 15 minutes of play.

Two handball whistles went against SJU in the loss. The first was an alleged handball called against senior midfielder Drew Engel (De Pere, Wis.) in the box in the 25th minute. Matthias Caspari put away the penalty kick, his team-leading seventh goal of the season, to give BU a 1-0 lead. The other critical handball was whistled against senior defender Aidan Becken (Prior Lake, Minn.), just before he scored the potential game-tying goal - a blast from the top of the box to the top-right corner - in the closing minutes.

Less than three minutes after the penalty kick, a goal kick from Juan Valdivia Cortes bounced past a cluster of players toward the SJU goal. Becken fell down in pursuit and Jack Hanson chipped a shot to the far post before sophomore goalkeeper Evan Siefken (Lakeville, Minn./North) could secure it for a 2-0 Bethel lead. Siefken finished with four saves.

The Johnnies finally broke through on a goal from senior forward Ryan Erickson (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Eagan), his second in as many games, in the 57th minute. A throw-in from sophomore defender Joe Pearson (St. Cloud, Minn./Tech) found the head of senior midfielder Matt D. Anderson (Omaha, Neb./Creighton Prep) and his pass across the box met a BU defender, but the Royals' attempt to clear went to Erickson near the far post for his eighth career goal.

ANOTHER ERICKSON TALLY VS. BETHEL: Erickson has 24 points (8g/8a) and three game-winning goals in 52 career games, including now five points (2g/1a) in four contests against Bethel. He scored the dramatic goal, late, to defeat Hamline last fall (see the recap below).

A LOOK AT THE PIPERS: Hamline (3-10, 0-6 MIAC) suffered a 3-2 road loss Tuesday (Oct. 11) at Carleton. The Pipers gained a 1-0 lead with a goal from senior midfielder Robert Cooper in the 13th minute and a 2-1 advantage on an own-goal in the 66th minute. The Knights, however, tied the game in the 83rd minute and tallied the game-winner with 5:30 left. Carleton out-shot HU 19-4 (5-3 on goal) in the game, including 9-0 in the second half. Senior forward Logan Weller leads the team in goals (7) and points (15), while Cooper is next with 11 points (4g/3a). Junior Luke Rimington (2-7, 2.59 GAA, .585) and sophomore Ethan Schauer (1-3, 2.67, .684) have combined for a 2.62 GAA and a .626 save percentage (57 saves) this fall.

LAST YEAR: A late goal from Erickson proved to be the difference in a 2-1 Saint John's win over Hamline last Oct. 17 (2021) in Collegeville.

M.D. Anderson ripped a shot on goal, which the Hamline goalkeeper saved to his left, and Erickson sent it to the back of the net with 28.8 seconds remaining for SJU. The goal was Erickson's fourth of the season and second game-winner. 

Popp gave the Johnnies a quick 1-0 lead with his second goal of the season in the 12th minute. A pass between Tommy Picka '22 and Engel led to Popp on the right side and he smashed a shot to the far post for his second collegiate goal. 

Hamline took advantage of a free kick from just outside the right side of the box in the 63rd minute. The free kick bounced around in the box until Weller rattled a shot off the post and the rebound found Alex Rouse for the game-tying score.

Siefken made three saves in the victory as SJU posted statistical advantages in shots (23-10), shots on goal (14-4) and corner kicks (11-5).

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies lead the series with a 32-8-3 record since 1981, including a 13-6-1 mark in St. Paul. SJU won 23 consecutive games against HU from 1982-2004, but has not defeated the Pipers on their home field since Sept. 18, 2013 (0-3 record since, 2-6 over the last eight trips to St. Paul).