Saint John's soccer plays host to Wisconsin-Superior for its home opener at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 5, at Haws Field. – Live Stats | Live Video

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's started its 2023 season with a 1-1 record over the weekend in Wisconsin. The Johnnies fell to La Verne (Calif.) by a 4-2 score in Saturday's opener but bounced back with a 2-0 shutout of Carroll (Wis.) on Sunday.

La Verne (Calif.) 4, Saint John's 2
All six goals were scored after halftime in a game where the two teams combined for just five shots in the first 45 minutes. Adan Villarreal gave the Leopards a 2-0 lead with a pair of goals 3:36 apart (56th and 59th minutes).

Senior midfielder Matt D. Anderson (Omaha, Neb./Creighton Prep) cut the deficit in half for SJU on a penalty kick in the 61st minute and sophomore forward Alex Bowman (Elk River, Minn./Rogers) tied the game in the 78th minute, three minutes after Anderson was denied by a goalkeeper save on another penalty kick. Villarreal, however, completed the hat trick with 6:31 to play and Tyler Thomas ended the scoring for LV at the 89:28 mark.

Junior goalkeeper Evan Siefken (Lakeville, Minn./North) made four saves in the loss for the Johnnies, who were out-shot by a 14-10 margin but posted a 6-5 edge in corner kicks.

Saint John's 2, at Carroll (Wis.) 0
Anderson scored what proved to be the game-winning goal on a penalty kick 13:48 into the contest. The goal was the 15th of Anderson's career and his second on a PK in as many days.

Senior forward Kaidan Popp (Redmond, Wash./Mount Si) provided the insurance goal, the seventh of his career, in the 66th minute on a corner kick from sophomore forward Riley Buxell (Afton, Minn./Stillwater Area).

Siefken stopped both Carroll shots on goal for his eighth collegiate shutout.

A LOOK AT THE YELLOWJACKETS: Wisconsin-Superior (0-0-1 overall) started its 2023 season with a 1-1 tie against Wisconsin-Eau Claire last night (Sept. 3) at home. In the 57th minute, UWEC goalkeeper Spencer Banks was issued a red card, which forced him to leave the game and force the Blugolds to play a man down for the remainder of the match. Despite being a player down, however, it was Eau Claire that broke the ice to take the 1-0 lead only two minutes after the red card was issued. Superior tied the game on a header from senior midfielder Karsten Kletti in the 76th minute. UWS was picked to win its eighth-consecutive Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) title in the preseason coaches poll released last Wednesday (Aug. 30). The team returns three All-UMAC student-athletes from last season: junior defender Josh Bellamy, senior defender Alex Hanson and senior forward Phillip Eriksen. A two-time All-UMAC first-team selection, Bellamy totaled 18 points (6g/6a) in 2022, while Hanson led the team in minutes played (1,706 minutes). The duo helped Superior post 11 shutouts and surrender only 17 goals in 22 games last season. The 2020 UMAC Rookie of the Year, Eriksen totaled 32 points (13g/6a) last fall.

THE LAST MEETING: The last time SJU and UWS faced each other resulted in a 1-0 loss for the Johnnies on Oct. 26, 2019, in Collegeville. The game's lone goal was a penalty kick by Scott Wilson in the 65th minute. Captain Leighton Lommel '20 had an opportunity to tie the game for SJU with a penalty kick of his own, a second into the 72nd minute, but UWS' Ulrik Lager made a sprawling save. He finished with 10 stops on the afternoon. Goalkeeper Payton Spencer '20 made six saves in the loss. SJU out-shot UWS 19-16 (10-7 on goal), including a 13-9 edge in the second half.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 5-4-1 all-time against Superior on the soccer pitch, but just 2-3 in Collegeville and have been shut out by the Yellowjackets in each of the last two meetings at Haws Field.