The Johnnie soccer team plays host to No. 17 St. Olaf at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, at Haws Field. – Live Stats | Live Video

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (7-4-4, 4-2-2 MIAC) scored two second-half goals, thanks to a 21-8 advantage in shots, in a 2-0 road win at St. Scholastica on Tuesday (Oct. 17) in Duluth.

SJU held a slim, 7-6 edge in shots during a scoreless first half but burst onto the field after halftime and the offensive pressure finally broke through CSS in the 62nd minute. Sophomore defender Noah Hermanson (St. Paul, Minn./Holy Angels) sent a long pass from the left sideline to sophomore forward Riley Buxell (Afton, Minn./Stillwater Area), who spun in the top of the box and sent a shot to the back of the net for his second goal of the season.

Senior midfielder Matt D. Anderson (Omaha, Neb./Creighton Prep) made it 3:10 later with his fourth goal of the season and 17th of his career. Junior defender Joe Pearson (St. Cloud, Minn./Tech) found sophomore midfielder Will Falkman (Waconia, Minn.) up the right side, who turned the corner and fed a hard-charging Anderson in the middle of the box.

Junior goalkeeper Evan Siefken (Lakeville, Minn./North) made seven saves for his sixth shutout of the season and 13th of his career.

PLAYOFF HUNT: The Johnnies are currently third in the conference standings and can clinch their 13th trip to the MIAC Playoffs (10th in the last 11 seasons) with either a win in one of its final two games or a loss by Saint Mary's in one of its three remaining contests (Oct 21 at No. 4 Carleton, Oct. 24 at Macalester and Oct. 28 vs. Hamline).

SIX SHUTOUTS: Siefken became the first Johnnie to record six shutouts or more in a season since Matt Sundberg '08 posted six – with a 13-4-1 record – during the Johnnies' MIAC-championship season of 2006 (13-4-1, 9-1-0 MIAC).

A LOOK AT THE OLES: St. Olaf (11-3-1, 6-0-1 MIAC) extended its unbeaten streak to 11 games (10-0-1 record) with a 2-0 home victory over Wisconsin-Platteville on Tuesday (Oct. 17). The Oles have out-scored the competition 35-5 during the streak. Senior midfielder Victor Gaulmin scored a pair of goals via penalty kick, in the 32nd and 60th minutes, to hand the Pioneers their first loss of the season. He leads the team in goals (9) and points (25), and junior midfielder Shea Bechtel is next with eight goals and 21 points. Senior forward Hakeem Morgan had 18 points (8g/2a) in 11 games before he was called up to the Costa Rica U-23 National Team Oct. 6 for home, international friendly matches during the October FIFA window against Colombia on Oct. 14 and Oct. 17. Junior goalkeeper Peter Forseth is 10-3-1 with a 0.93 GAA and a .787 save percentage (48 saves).

LAST SEASON: SJU dropped a 3-1 decision at St. Olaf in a battle of regionally ranked teams the last time the teams met on Oct. 9 (2022) in Northfield. The Johnnies entered the game No. 6, and the Oles at No. 7, in Region IX.

Gaulmin gave STO an early 1-0 lead 7:33 into the game, but forward Ryan Erickson '23 tied the game in the 18th minute. Pearson sent a cross into the middle of the box, where it pin-balled around until an Ole attempt to clear it went directly to Erickson at the top of the box. The senior blasted a shot to the top-right corner for his first goal of the season and seventh of his career.

Gaulmin scored the go-ahead goal with 6:53 left in the first half and Casey McCloskey added an insurance goal 6:23 after halftime.

Siefken made four saves in the loss. The Oles posted a 15-9 (7-4 on net) edge in shots and a slim 8-6 advantage in corner kicks.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies lead the series with a 34-18-5 record since 1974, including an 18-9-3 record in Collegeville. The Oles have won three of the last four meetings – all by one goal – at Haws Field (eight of the last 12 overall).