Saint John's soccer begins the 2023 season with a 1 p.m. game against La Verne (Calif.) on Saturday, Sept. 2, on the campus of Carroll University in Waukesha, Wis., and takes on the host Pioneers at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 3. 

LIVE COVERAGE
-Saturday, Sept. 2 (1 p.m.) vs. La Verne (Calif.) at Carroll (Wis.): Live Stats | Live Video
-Sunday, Sept. 3 (1:30 p.m.) at Carroll (Wis.): Live Stats | Live Video

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: John Haws '99 begins his 14th season as the head soccer coach at Saint John's University with a roster that blends young talent and veteran savvy.

The Johnnies return much of their offensive production from a year ago, but are adding a number of newcomers who look ready to contribute as well.

Five of the seven Johnnies who totaled eight points or more last season return in 2023, and 64 percent (69 of 108) of the team's total points overall (67 percent – 22 of 33 – of the team's goals scored) are back, as well as its two All-Region honorees in senior midfielder Matt D. Anderson (Omaha, Neb./Creighton Prep) and junior goalkeeper Evan Siefken (Lakeville, Minn./North). This year's crop of newcomers includes five transfers and four Minnesota All-State selections. 

The Johnnies finished sixth in the conference with a 4-5-1 record (8-7-3 overall) and made their 11th trip to the semifinals in 12 MIAC Playoff appearances in 2022.

"Big Matt" is Back
Anderson graduated back in May but returns for the Johnnies in 2023 via the NCAA-granted extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to his aforementioned All-Region honor, the 6-foot-5 Anderson tied for the team lead in goals (5), game-winning goals (2) and points (11) in 16 games last fall. He was named to the inaugural 2022 MIAC All-Playoff team and earned All-MIAC first-team honors in 2021. Anderson touts 33 points (13g/7a), including five game-winning goals, in 56 career games.

All-Region In Net…Again
Last season's All-Region distinction was the second-consecutive for Siefken, who earned third-team honors in 2021 and was named to the 2022 All-MIAC first team. He made all but one start in net and posted a 7-7-3 record with five shutouts (four individual, one shared). Siefken was All-MIAC honorable mention as a freshman in 2021 after he made 17 starts, including the Johnnies' final 1,116 minutes, and posted a 7-9-1 record.

Experienced Lettermen
In addition to Anderson and Siefken, seven other upperclassmen return after playing 10 games or more in 2022. Senior forward Kaidan Popp (Redmond, Wash./Mount Si) played all 18 games, with 11 starts, and finished third on the team in goals (4) and fourth in points (10) last fall. He begins his senior campaign with 18 points (6g/6a) in 39 career games. Senior defender Brian Real Juarez (Shakopee, Minn.) and senior midfielder Jack Simonet (Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Jefferson) played the bulk of the season's contests and tallied an assist each. Simonet played all 18 games (six starts) and Real Juarez appeared in 14 with one start. Junior midfielder Christian Rodriguez (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori) posted four points (1g/2a) in 10 games (six starts).

On the back line, senior defender Cole Ober (Hudson, Wis.) played all but one game (16 starts) and tallied the game-winning goal in SJU's 7-0 shutout of Saint Mary's on Sept. 17. Junior defender Joe Pearson (St. Cloud, Minn./Tech) found the pitch for 15 games (two starts) and was the team's go-to for offensive-zone throws, while junior defender Landon Atkins (Lakeville, Minn./North) appeared in 14 games.

Ready for Year No. 2
The addition of four Minnesota All-State selections gives the Johnnies an even dozen over the past two seasons, joining last year's eight honorees. The 2021 Minnesota Mr. Soccer in Class AA, forward Carter Hermanson (St. Paul, Minn./Holy Angels) played all 18 games (13 starts), led the team with seven assists and tied for the team lead with 11 points last fall. Forward Alex Bowman (Elk River, Minn./Rogers) played 11 games (five starts) and tied Anderson for the team lead with five goals. 

The Johnnies' other returning playmakers, based on assists, were also freshman a year ago. Forward Cooper Nowak (Princeton, Minn.) played all but one game and totaled four assists and eight points, while forward Riley Buxell (Afton, Minn./Stillwater Area) appeared in 14 games (four starts) and collected three assists. Midfielder Will Falkman (Waconia, Minn.) saw the field in 12 games with one start, while defenders Foster Conlin (Mooresville, N.C./Mounds View) and Noah Hermanson (St. Paul, Minn./Holy Angels) accrued quality minutes on the back line. Conlin accomplished the rare SJU feat of starting all of the team's games as a freshman and registered two assists. Hermanson played all but one game, with seven starts, and tallied two goals and an assist.

The 2023 Schedule
Five of SJU's first six games of the 2023 season are on the road, beginning with a pair of contests this weekend against La Verne (Calif.) and Carroll (Wis.), respectively, in Waukesha, Wis. Aside from the season-opening weekend, SJU's other five non-conference opponents combined for a 54-26-18 (.643) record last season.  

The Johnnies host Wisconsin-Superior Sept. 6 for their home opener before venturing south to Iowa Sept. 8-9 to face Dubuque and Loras. Superior won the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC), made the NCAA Division III Tournament and finished with a 16-4-2 record last fall.

The 10-game MIAC schedule alternates away-home for the Johnnies in 2023 and begins Sept. 13 at Macalester - a rematch of the Johnnies' 1-0 win in the 2022 MIAC quarterfinals - followed by another opponent from St. Paul - Hamline - Sept. 16 in Collegeville. 

SJU heads to Winona to face Saint Mary's Sept. 23 and returns home to host Augsburg Sept. 26, before Wisconsin-Whitewater comes to Haws Field Sept. 30 for a non-conference match. The Warhawks finished 13-7-1 last season. 

The team travels south to St. Peter Oct. 6 to take on Gustavus Adolphus, which who won the MIAC regular-season title and reached the NCAA quarterfinals. SJU hosts Concordia Oct. 11 and hits the road for trips to Bethel (Oct. 14) and Wartburg (Oct. 15), the final non-conference game in Waverly, Iowa. The Knights finished last season with a 7-2-9 record. Yes, nine ties. 

The Johnnies play host to St. Olaf, last year's MIAC playoff champions and an NCAA Tournament team for the second-straight season, Oct. 21 and make a late-October trip to Duluth for a date with St. Scholastica Oct. 24. SJU closes the regular-season schedule by hosting Carleton Oct. 28. SJU is 41-31-5 (.570) in 10 seasons at Haws Field, of which 24 of the 31 losses were decided by one goal.

MIAC Playoffs
The first round of the six-team MIAC Playoffs is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 30, and the MIAC semifinals follow on Wednesday, Nov. 1. The MIAC championship game, with the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III tournament on the line, is set for Saturday, Nov. 4. The high seed hosts in all three rounds.

A LOOK AT THE LEOPARDS: La Verne (Calif.) returns a pair of student-athletes - junior goalkeeper Matthew Logan Reese and senior defender Oscar Mendoza - who were named to the All-SCIAC second team this fall. Mendoza played 16 of the team's 20 games and did not record a point, while Reese posted a .827 save percentage (86 saves) and a 1.60 GAA. The Leopards finished with a 4-13-3 record (3-7-1 SCIAC) last fall.

SERIES HISTORY: Saturday's season opener is the second meeting between SJU and La Verne on the soccer field. The first was 38 years ago – a 1-0 win on Sept. 7, 1985 – on La Verne's home pitch. Mark Haeg scored the lone goal in the 61st minute, with an assist from Dick McCarthy, and Tim Gallagher earned the shutout in net. The Johnnies went on to post a 10-2-2 record and finished second in the MIAC with an 8-1 mark. 

A LOOK AT THE PIONEERS: Carroll (Wis.) started the 2022 season with a 6-3 record but lost eight of its final 10 games to finish at 8-11 (3-5 CCIW). Senior midfielder Josh Gonzaga (first team) and sophomore midfielder Marti Solanellas (second team) return after earning All-CCIW recognition last fall. Gonzaga and Solanellas tied with Josh Venouziou, who is not on the 2023 roster, for the team lead with seven goals apiece. Solanellas totaled 17 points in 15 games (all starts), while Gonzaga collected 16 points in 15 games. The Pioneers play host to Lakeland (Wis.) Friday night before taking on the Johnnies Sunday afternoon.

SERIES HISTORY: The series is tied at 1-1 in which both games were decided in overtime. The first was a 2-1 victory for SJU on Sept. 6, 2015, in Wisconsin. Sam Newman provided the heroics 4:02 into overtime. The second, and most recent, was a 3-2 win for Carroll in the 2016 season opener (Sept. 3) held at Haws Field. The Johnnies amassed a 31-11 advantage in shots and a 10-0 margin in corner kicks, but a two-goal game from Dylan Lehrer was spoiled when the Pioneers' Tyler Coenen scored his second goal of the contest on a breakaway with 1:37 left in overtime.