Saint John's plays host to St. Scholastica for its final regular-season home game at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23, in Collegeville. - Live Stats | Live Video

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (5-6-1, 2-4-1 MIAC) scored two goals in each half for a 4-1 non-conference win over Wisconsin-River Falls yesterday (Monday, Oct. 21) at Haws Field.

Sophomore forward Andrew Pitzner (Maple Grove, Minn./Heritage Christian Academy) gave SJU an early lead with his second goal of the season 3:32 into the contest. Sophomore forward Ronan O'Connor (Woodbury, Minn./Hill-Murray) fed senior forward Christian Rodriguez (Cold Spring, Minn.) up the right side and he sent a perfect cross to the box for an easy one-timer from Pitzner. 

Freshman midfielder Matt Holmes (Edina, Minn.) made it 2-0 with his first collegiate goal in the 43rd minute and junior forward Carter Hermanson (St. Paul, Minn./Holy Angels) extended the lead with his third goal of the season – and sixth of his career – in the 60th minute. 

Landon Christiansen broke the shutout for River Falls with a shot from the 18-yard mark – the Falcons' first attempt on goal – for his team-leading 10th goal of the season 52 seconds later.

Junior forward Connor Drong (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral) ended the scoring with his second tally as a Johnnie in the 81st minute.

Senior goalkeeper Evan Siefken (Lakeville, Minn./North) made three saves in the win, the 25th of his career (25-28-9 record). SJU posted a 21-9 advantage in shots (12-4 on net).

FAST GOAL: Pitzner's goal 3:32 into Monday's win was SJU's fastest since Matt D. Anderson '23 gave SJU a quick 1-0 lead 2:26 into the eventual 3-0 shutout of Carleton on Nov. 2, 2019, in Collegeville.

A LOOK AT THE SAINTS: St. Scholastica (3-12-1, 1-6-0 MIAC) brings a five-game losing streak to Collegeville Wednesday following a 3-2 home defeat to Saint Mary's on Saturday (Oct. 19). Freshman forward Gabriel Marchesoni leads CSS in goals (9) and points (19), while junior defender David Lopez and freshman forward Ayub Mohamed are tied for the team lead with three assists. Junior Ben Hallberg has over 1,000 minutes in net and is 2-9-1 with a 3.45 GAA and .664 save percentage (83 saves) this fall.

LAST SEASON'S MEETING: SJU scored two second-half goals, thanks to a 21-8 advantage in shots, in a 2-0 road win at St. Scholastica last Oct. 17 (2023) in Duluth. The Johnnies 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. Junior defender Noah Hermanson (St. Paul, Minn./Holy Angels) sent a long pass from the left sideline to junior 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.

Midfielder Matt D. Anderson '23 ended the scoring 3:10 later with his fourth goal of the season and 17th of his career. Senior defender Joe Pearson (St. Cloud, Minn./Tech) found junior 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.

Siefken made seven saves for his sixth shutout of the season and 13th of his career.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 16-3 all-time against the Saints, including a 4-1 record in Collegeville. SJU has won 15 of the last 17 meetings overall.