Saint John's soccer begins conference play against No. 18 Macalester at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13, in St. Paul. – Live Stats | Live Video

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (3-1-1 overall) went 1-0-1 in Iowa over the weekend.

Saint John's 2, at Dubuque 0 (Sept. 8)
Both SJU goals were thanks to senior midfielder Matt D. Anderson (Omaha, Neb./Creighton Prep) and sophomore forward Riley Buxell (Afton, Minn./Stillwater Area), and junior goalkeeper Evan Siefken (Lakeville, Minn./North) made nine saves for his third-straight shutout, a scoreless streak of 270:32 in net.

Buxell scored what proved to be the game-winning goal, his first collegiate tally, on assists from Anderson and sophomore defender Caden Ligman (St. Paul, Minn./Highland Park) 17:08 into the game. Anderson padded the lead for SJU off a corner kick from Buxell with 23:17 remaining. The goal was his team-leading third of the season and 16th of his career.  

SJU out-shot the Spartans by a 15-13 margin, though the home team posted a 10-6 advantage on net, and had an 8-7 edge in corner kicks.

t-Saint John's 1, at Loras 1 (Sept. 9)
A late goal from sophomore forward Alex Bowman (Elk River, Minn./Rogers) enabled Saint John's to earn a 1-1 tie at Loras on Saturday. A through ball from freshman midfielder Collin Byrne (Lakeville, Minn./North) found Bowman on the left side of the box and the forward chipped a shot destined for the right post, but the ball hit a trailing Loras defender and went to the back of the net with 4:45 remaining. The goal was Bowman's third of the season and eighth of his collegiate career.

SJU out-shot the Duhawks by a 20-10 margin, including 13-3 in the second half.

Alex Beausoleil gave Loras an early 1-0 lead 15:46 into the game, which snapped Siefken's shutout streak at 286:18. Siefken finished with four saves.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Siefken was named the MIAC Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week on Monday (Sept. 11). He allowed one goal and made 21 saves in 270 minutes of play as SJU went 2-0-1 last week. A two-time All-Region honoree, Siefken currently leads the MIAC in saves (27) and is tied for second in NCAA Division III in goalkeeper minutes played (450:00) and tied for third in shutouts (3) so far this fall. He made all but one start in net and posted a 7-7-3 record with five shutouts (four individual, one shared) last fall. 

The MIAC weekly honor was the second for Siefken, who earned the first the same week last season (Sept. 12, 2022) after he went 1-0-1 with 14 saves against Wisconsin-Platteville and Wisconsin-Whitewater.

REGIONALLY RANKED: The Johnnies were ranked No. 5 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Region IX rankings released today (Sept. 12). Gustavus fell five spots to No. 10 in the national poll, while Macalester cracked the top 25 at No. 18.

1. Gustavus Adolphus (No. 10 nationally)
2. Macalester (No. 18 nationally)
3. Loras, Iowa
4. Wartburg, Iowa
5. SJU
6. Wisconsin-Platteville
7. Wisconsin-Eau Claire
8. St. Olaf

MIAC OPENERS: SJU is 28-9-4 in its first conference game of the season since 1981, including a 13-4-2 when the MIAC opener is away from Collegeville.

A LOOK AT THE SCOTS: Macalester (3-0-2 overall) remained unbeaten thanks to a 3-0 shutout of Luther (Iowa) on Sunday (Sept. 10) in St. Paul. Senior forward Branko Sciortino curled a corner kick into the net for the game-winner just 2:01 into the game. Freshman forward Cody Da made in 2-0 in the 51st minute and another freshman, midfielder Jack Freimann, ended the scoring in the 70th minute. The win was Mac head coach Gregg Olson's 100th of his career. Sciortino and junior forward Hans Haenicke lead the team with two goals and two assists apiece. Junior goalkeeper Sam Price, like Siefken, has played all 450 minutes in net so far this fall and has a 0.60 GAA and an .850 save percentage (17 saves).

LAST FALL: Macalester edged SJU during the regular season in Collegeville, but the Johnnies ended the Scots' season with an MIAC quarterfinal win in St. Paul 10 days later.

Macalester 2, at Saint John's 1 (Oct. 22, 2022)
Following a scoreless first half, Sciortino gave the Scots the lead with a penalty kick 3:05 after halftime and made it a 2-0 advantage 4:24 later. 

Bowman cut the deficit in half for SJU with his third goal of the season in the 79th minute, thanks to passes from Buxell and forward Ryan Erickson '23.

Defender Cavin Allen '23 had an opportunity to tie the game in the closing seconds, but his free kick just cleared the crossbar.

Siefken tied a career-high with 10 saves in the loss.

Mac recorded narrow statistical margins in shots, 16-13 (12-7 on net), and corner kicks (8-6).

Saint John's 1, at Macalester 0 (MIAC Quarterfinals; Nov. 1, 2022)
Sixth-seeded SJU advanced to the MIAC semifinals with a 1-0 win at third-seeded Macalester when forward Ryan Erickson '23 took advantage of a mishap between a Mac defender and the goalkeeper for what proved to be the game-winning goal 1:40 into the second half. A long ball from Allen bounced high off the turf toward the Scots' net as Erickson and a Scot defender chased it down. The defender headed the ball toward the keeper, but he mishandled the ball and Erickson chipped it into the net for his third goal of the season and ninth of his career (fourth game-winner). 

Siefken made two saves to record his fourth shutout of the season and seventh of his career.

SJU out-shot the Scots 10-8 (4-2 on goal) and posted a 6-2 margin in corner kicks.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 24-21-3 against the Scots since 1981, including an 11-10-2 record in St. Paul.