Saint John's soccer travels for a pair of games this weekend, beginning with a 1 p.m. tilt at Bethel on Saturday, Oct. 14, in Arden Hills. The Johnnies visit Wartburg for a 5 p.m. non-conference game on Sunday, Oct. 15, in Waverly, Iowa.

LIVE COVERAGE
-1 p.m. Saturday at Bethel: Live Stats | Live Video
-5 p.m. Sunday at Wartburg: Live Stats | Live Video

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (5-3-4, 2-2-2 MIAC) and Concordia-Moorhead played to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday (Oct. 11) at Haws Field.

Both of the game's goals were of the odd variety. The Cobbers gained an early 1-0 lead 6:43 into the contest when senior goalkeeper Evan Siefken's (Lakeville, Minn./North) pass attempt went directly to CC's Kai Black, who sent a shot inside the left post. 

Concordia looked like it was about to earn its first win in Collegeville since Nov. 3, 2001, but the Johnnies tied the game on an own goal with 3:46 remaining in the game. Sophomore midfielder Caden Ligman (St. Paul, Minn./Highland Park) lofted a pass toward two teammates at the center of the box, but a Cobber defender headed the ball backwards over his keeper and into the net.

Siefken finished with six saves as SJU posted a 21-13 advantage in shots (8-7 on net), including a 12-5 margin after halftime. Sophomore defender Noah Hermanson (St. Paul, Minn./Holy Angels) led the way with six shots (two on net).

OWN GOAL: The own goal was SJU's first since Hamline put two in its own net within the game's first 22 minutes (3:19 and 21:48) in the Johnnies' eventual 7-2 win on Sept. 21, 2019, in Collegeville.

IN NEED OF A JOHNNIE GOAL: The Johnnies enter Saturday's game with a 378:32 scoreless streak, going back to their last goal - freshman midfielder Andrew Pitzner's (Maple Grove, Minn./Heritage Christian Academy) game-winner - in the 2-1 victory Sept. 23 at Saint Mary's. The tally was Pitzner's third in as many games at the time.

A LOOK AT THE ROYALS: Bethel (3-5-4, 1-3-3 MIAC) played Augsburg to a 2-2 draw Wednesday night (Oct. 11) in Minneapolis. The Auggies gained a quick 1-0 lead 7:11 into the game, but fifth-year midfielder Isaac Howell and freshman forward James Oberholtzer scored goals 3:35 apart for a 2-1 advantage. Oberholtzer leads the team in goals (3) and points (7) this fall. The home team, however, tied the game with 5:44 to play. BU is 0-3-4 in its last seven games. Freshman Dylan Parkison is 2-3-1 with a 2.17 GAA and a .649 save percentage (24 saves) in net.

LAST FALL: SJU controlled the game from start to finish but fell to Bethel by a score of 2-1 last Oct. 12 (2022) 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.

Senior 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 midfielder Drew Engel '22 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 defender Aidan Becken '23, 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 Siefken could secure it for a 2-0 Bethel lead. Siefken finished with four saves.

The Johnnies finally broke through on a goal from forward Ryan Erickson '23, his second in as many games, in the 57th minute. A throw-in from junior 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.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies lead the series with a 35-11-4 record since 1973, including a 17-5-3 record on the Royals' home pitch.

A LOOK AT THE KNIGHTS: Wartburg (6-1-6, 2-1-2 ARC) suffered a 2-0 loss at home to Loras (Iowa) on Tuesday (Oct. 10). Five of the Knights' six draws this fall were scoreless. Freshman forward Alima Mmunga (3g/4a) and fifth-year forward Edvin Rizvic (4g/2a) lead the team with 10 points apiece. Fifth-year goalkeeper Brennon Woody has all 13 decisions in net with a 0.39 GAA and a .914 save percentage (53 saves). Wartburg visits Central (Iowa) Saturday afternoon before returning home to host SJU.

THE LAST TIME: Wartburg scored three unanswered goals, including two in the final 8:55, to top SJU 3-1 the last time these two teams met on Sept. 8, 2017, in Collegeville. The Knights controlled the first half, out-shooting the Johnnies 10-0 (5-0 on goal), but could not get the ball past goalkeeper Nicholas French '20. SJU burst onto the field after halftime and posted a 7-1 advantage in shots to start the second half.

Midfielder Tyler Street '18 gave SJU a 1-0 lead with his first collegiate goal on a penalty kick 11:07 into the second half. Midfielder Nic Kramer '18 beat the Wartburg defender around the left side of the box and carried the ball into a one-on-one situation. The Knights' goalkeeper, in an act of desperation, grabbed Kramer's arm and hauled him to the ground. A yellow card was issued, instead of a red card, and Street took the penalty kick.

SJU was called for a handball foul in its defensive box 12 minutes later and Garrett Grimsman tied the match on the ensuing penalty kick. The Johnnies mustered only two shots the remainder of the game.

Sam Thomann scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 82nd minute on a put-back from his initial shot and save. Will Hamilton ended the scoring for the Knights with 2:43 remaining.

Wartburg out-shot SJU 26-12, including a 13-1 advantage on goal.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 2-7-1 against the Knights, including a 1-3-1 record in Waverly, Iowa. SJU's lone win on Wartburg's pitch was a 3-2 decision on Oct. 9, 2011.