Saint John's soccer opens the 2022 season with a 5 p.m. game Thursday, Sept. 1, at Minnesota-Morris before traveling to California this weekend for two more non-conference games on the campus of UC-Santa Cruz. 

LIVE COVERAGE
-Thursday, Sept. 1 (5 p.m.) at Minnesota-Morris: Live Stats | Live Video
-Saturday, Sept. 3 (1:30 p.m. PT) vs. Cal Lutheran at UC-Santa Cruz: Live Stats
-Monday, Sept. 5 (Noon PT) at UC-Santa Cruz: Live Stats

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: As John Haws '99 prepares to start his 13th season as head coach of the Saint John's University soccer team in 2022, there is plenty to be optimistic about.

Not only do the Johnnies return the bulk of last season's offensive production, but the program also welcomes an influx of decorated freshmen.

SJU returns 10 of the 12 student-athletes who recorded multiple points last fall, and 80 percent (64 of 80) the team's total points overall, as well as its All-Region goalkeeper in sophomore Evan Siefken (Lakeville, Minn./North).

In addition, eight incoming freshmen were Minnesota All-State selections last fall, including two of the state's top five scorers and three in the top 20. The crop includes forward Carter Hermanson (St. Paul, Minn./Holy Angels), who was a United Soccer Coaches All-American - one of 88 honorees nationwide - and Minnesota's Mr. Soccer in Class AA.

The Johnnies finished sixth in the MIAC with a 4-6 record (8-9-1 overall) and made their 10th trip to the semifinals in 11 MIAC Playoff appearances last fall.

No More OT
The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved changes to overtime rules in April for both the regular season and the postseason, effective for the 2022 season.

For the regular season, overtime has been eliminated. Meaning, if a game is tied after regulation (90 minutes), it will end in a tie. Previously, teams played two 10-minute overtime periods in a sudden-victory (golden goal) format, and if neither team scored, the game ended in a tie. 

In the MIAC Playoffs and NCAA Tournament, the sudden-victory component has been eliminated and teams will play two, 10-minute overtime periods instead. In addition, when a substitution is made by the winning team in the last five minutes of the second overtime, the game clock will stop. If the game remains tied, a penalty-kick shootout will be held to determine the winner.

All-Region In Net
Siefken returns in net for SJU after being named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Region IX third team as a freshman last fall. He finished third in the MIAC with a 0.97 GAA and totaled a 4-6 record with two shutouts and 39 saves (.796) in conference play and was named All-MIAC honorable mention. He made 17 starts overall, including the Johnnies' final 1,116 minutes in net, and posted a 7-9-1 record. His 79 saves in all games were good for third in the league.

All-MIAC Returners
Three of the four Johnnies who were named to the 2021 All-MIAC soccer team return this fall. Senior midfielder Matt D. Anderson (Omaha, Neb./Creighton Prep) was named to the first team and senior defender Aidan Becken (Prior Lake, Minn.) joined Siefken as honorable mention. The four honorees started all 10 MIAC games this fall.

All-MIAC honorable mention as a freshman defender in 2019, Anderson led SJU in shots (23) and shots on goal (14) in conference play and finished with six points (2g/2a). Overall, Anderson was one of three Johnnies to start all 18 games and led the team with five goals, while finishing second in points with 13. He enters the 2022 season with 22 points (8g/6a) in 40 career games.

SJU's lone non-returner who earned All-MIAC recognition last fall, Tommy Picka '22, led the team in points, both in conference play (8; 2g/4a) and overall (14; 4g/6a). He also led SJU in game-winning goals with three (two in MIAC games), including the thrilling tally in overtime at then-No. 19 Gustavus Adolphus that sent the Johnnies to the MIAC semifinals. Picka ended his SJU career with 21 points (6g/9a) in 51 games.

Senior midfielder Drew Engel (De Pere, Wis.) was named to the MIAC All-Sportsmanship team last fall and returns in 2022 thanks to an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic. SJU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) president for the 2021-22 academic year, Engel totaled six points (2g/2a) and the game-winning goal - his first collegiate tally - against Wisconsin-Platteville - last season.

Academic All-American
Becken was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America soccer third team after the season concluded on Dec. 8. Nominees must be of a sophomore academic standing or better, with a 3.30 GPA or higher. The Academic All-District and All-America teams are voted upon and selected by registered members of CoSIDA.

A biology major (pre-medicine emphasis) with a perfect 4.0 GPA, Becken scored two goals in conference play, including the game-winner in overtime Sept. 18 at Saint Mary's, en route to All-MIAC honorable mention in 2021. He collected six points (2g/2a) overall last season and has eight (3g/2a) in 28 career games.

As a team, 2021-22 SJU soccer team earned a United Soccer Coaches' Team Academic Award for the 13th straight, competitive season in July. A total of 220 men's soccer programs in all NCAA and NAIA divisions posted team GPAs of 3.00 or higher on a 4.0 scale during the 2021-22 academic year to earn Team Academic Award honors. SJU's 38-man roster combined for a 3.32 team GPA.

Non-Conference Games
SJU opens the 2022 season Sept. 1 at Minnesota-Morris before traveling to California for a neutral-site game Sept. 3 against Cal Lutheran at UC-Santa Cruz. The Johnnies face the host Banana Slugs Sept. 5 to wrap the west-coast trip and travel to Wisconsin Sept. 10-11 for two more non-conference games – at Wisconsin-Platteville and Wisconsin-Whitewater, respectively. The Johnnies host Wisconsin-Eau Claire Oct. 18 in Collegeville for the fifth and final non-conference tilt.

Late Home Opener
The first of six home games, the Johnnies' opener on the Haws Field pitch - Sept. 17 against Saint Mary's - also starts the MIAC schedule. The home opener is the latest on the fall calendar since 1992, when SJU hosted St. Olaf on Sept. 19. That game against the Oles was held 13 days after SJU opened the season with a pair of non-conference matches in Colorado over Labor Day weekend (Sept. 5-6).

The Rest of the Schedule in Collegeville
SJU wraps up the first month of the competitive season Sept. 28 against Concordia-Moorhead and hosts four home games in October, beginning with another Wednesday contest Oct. 12 against Bethel. The Johnnies' final three home games are in a row - Oct. 18 (Wisconsin-Eau Claire), Oct. 22 (Macalester) and Oct. 26 (St. Scholastica) - before the team visits Carleton Oct. 29 for the regular-season finale.

The Johnnies are 38-28-5 (.570) in nine seasons at Haws Field. Twenty-one of the 28 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. 2. The MIAC Playoff Championship, which will decide the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs, is set for Nov. 5. The contest's higher seed will host the games in all three rounds.

A LOOK AT THE COUGARS: Minnesota-Morris ended the 2021 season with a 5-13-2 record (5-7-2 UMAC) and was picked to finish fifth out of eight teams in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) preseason poll released Aug. 30. The Cougars' leader in goals (5) and points (15) and an All-UMAC second-team selection last fall, Carter Watkinson, returns for his senior campaign. He tied with another returner, junior Carver Hammond (3g/5a) for the team lead in assists. Senior goalkeeper Lucas Harmon played all 1858:44 in net last season and registered a 2.47 GAA and .695 save percentage (116 saves).

LAST FALL'S MEETING: SJU scored three first-half goals in a 3-0 non-conference win at Minnesota-Morris last Sept. 14 (2021).

Senior forward Ryan Erickson (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Eagan) tallied the Johnnies' first goal, his third of the season, in the 14th minute with assists going to junior midfielder Kaidan Popp (Redmond, Wash./Mount Si) and M.D. Anderson.

Junior defender Cavin Allen (Excelsior, Minn./Chanhassen) made it 2-0 for SJU with his first goal of the season (third of his career) off a corner kick from Picka in the 26th minute.

Senior midfielder Trenton Dodds (Dubuque, Iowa/Wahlert) ended the scoring with his first collegiate goal, on another corner kick from Picka, with 14 seconds left in the first half. Picka's corner went to senior forward Kevin Arthur (Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park), who flicked it to Dodds for the tally.

Senior Jake Swanson (Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Jefferson) made his first appearance in net this season and stopped two shots for his second collegiate shutout. SJU doubled up the Cougars with a 16-8 advantage in shots (7-2 on goal) and registered eight corner kicks to the home team's zero.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 10-1-1 all-time against the Cougars, including wins in each of the last nine meetings and a 4-1-1 record in Morris.

A LOOK AT THE KINGSMEN: Cal Lutheran posted a 10-7-2 record (7-4-1 SCIAC) last fall thanks to a number of streaks. The Kingsmen won three games in a row and on a pair of occasions and went winless in three straight games twice. Senior Matt Myers returns after finishing second on the team in goals (3) and assists (2), as well as sophomore Jack Endsley (3g/1a). The Kingsmen were picked to finish fourth in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) preseason poll. Saturday's game is the first between Cal Lutheran and SJU on the soccer pitch.

A LOOK AT THE BANANA SLUGS: UC-Santa Cruz won four of its final five games before a 2-1, overtime loss to nationally ranked Christopher Newport (Va.) in the season finale. Despite a slow start to the season, losing or tying seven of the first eight games, the Banana Slugs finished with a 7-10-2 record. The team leaders in goals (3), senior Luca Bravo and junior Will Barba, return. Four different goalkeepers guarded the net last fall. Senior Arman Salimi went 0-6-2 and posted a .636 save percentage.

SERIES HISTORY: UC-Santa Cruz won the last and only matchup with the Johnnies, 2-0, on its home field on Oct. 17, 2004.