Saint John's soccer starts the 2024 season with a pair of home games this weekend at Haws Field, beginning with a 5 p.m. match against Wartburg (Iowa) on Friday, Aug. 30. The Johnnies then host Carroll (Wis.) at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1. – Live Stats | Live Video

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: A new face takes over the helm, but plenty of familiar faces return for the Saint John's University soccer team this season.

Former student-athlete and assistant coach Noel Quinn was named interim head coach Aug. 8, inheriting a team that returns 75 percent (51 of 68) of its points from a year ago. The Johnnies finished sixth in the MIAC in 2023 with a 4-4-2 record (7-7-4 overall) and made their 13th appearance in the MIAC Playoffs – and 10th in the last 11 seasons. Individually, they welcome back five of their top-seven point scorers and senior goalkeeper Evan Siefken (Lakeville, Minn./North), who is a two-time United Soccer Coaches All-Region IX and All-MIAC honoree.

The Johnnies' 15-game, regular-season schedule includes four NCAA Tournament teams from last season and 10 contests in Collegeville – the most at home since 1993 (11).

A Familiar Face
Quinn served as the Minnesota United FC's Director of Youth Development from 2020-23 and has been the executive director for the Tonka United Soccer Association in Minnetonka since. He replaces John Haws '99, who resigned July 18 following 14 seasons as head coach. 

Quinn served as Haws' assistant coach in 2019 and again during the 2020-21 academic year that saw the Johnnies play six games in the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He also assisted former head coach Pat Haws '72 for two seasons that saw SJU win the MIAC playoff championship in 2005 and the conference's regular-season title in 2006. The Johnnies totaled a 39-18-6 (.667) record, including a 22-7-1 mark in MIAC play, during his four seasons on staff.

A 2002 graduate of the University of Ulster and a native of Belfast, Ireland, Quinn attended SJU in 2000-01 and has 13 years of high-school coaching experience in Minnesota. He recorded nine points (3g/3a) for the Johnnies during the 2000 season. In addition to stops at Columbia Heights (2006-07), Simley (2008-11) and Eden Prairie (2012-15) High Schools as a coach, Quinn led St. Thomas Academy (2016-18) to a state Class A championship in 2016. He accumulated six top-three finishes in seven appearances at the state tournament.

Siefken's Net
Siefken went 3-4-2 record with two shutouts and finished second in the MIAC in both save percentage (.818) and saves (63) in conference play last fall. Overall, Siefken posted a 6-6-4 record with six shutouts, a 1.36 GAA and a .837 save percentage (108 saves). He begins his senior season with a 20-22-8 record, 13 shutouts (another shared), a 1.26 GAA and a .810 save percentage (269 saves) in 50 career games.

Returning Experience
SJU returns 17 student-athletes who played 12 games or more in 2023. The number would be 18, but junior defender Noah Hermanson (St. Paul, Minn./Holy Angels) - who was one of three players that started all 18 games last fall - suffered an injury during spring practice and may not play in 2024. As noted above, however, five of the Johnnies' top-seven point scorers are back. Junior forwards Alex Bowman (Elk River, Minn./Rogers) and Riley Buxell (Afton, Minn./Stillwater Area) tallied eight points and two game-winning goals apiece. Bowman tied for the team lead with four goals now has 18 points (9g/0a) in 29 career games, while Buxell has 11 points (3g/5a) in 32 career contests. Another junior - forward Carter Hermanson (St. Paul, Minn./Holy Angels) - started all 18 games and totaled five points (1g/3a) to boost his ledger to 16 (3g/10a) in his 36-game career and classmate Will Falkman (Waconia, Minn.) collected three assists in 17 games (12 starts) a year ago. Both tied for the team lead with three assists apiece.

Midfielders Christian Rodriguez (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori) and Joe Pearson (St. Cloud, Minn./Tech) are two of the team's five seniors in 2024. Rodriguez appeared in 13 games with four starts and registered a goal and an assist, while Pearson played 15 games with two assists.

On the back line, senior Landon Atkins (Lakeville, Minn./North) and junior Caden Ligman (St. Paul, Minn./Highland Park) return for SJU. Both defenders tallied an assist and made 13 starts or more. The Johnnies' defense also welcomes the return of junior defender Foster Conlin (Mooresville, N.C./Mounds View), who posted two assists and started all of the team's games as a freshman in 2022, but suffered a season-ending injury eight games in.

Sophomore Duo
A pair sophomores, midfielder Andrew Pitzner (Maple Grove, Minn./Heritage Christian Academy) and defender McKaid Schotzko (Rochester, Minn./Lourdes), had productive freshman seasons for the Johnnies last fall. Pitzner played all 18 games and finished fourth on the team with seven points (3g/1a), while the 6-foot-4 Schotzko saw the field in all 18 games (with 15 starts) and scored a pair of goals. 

Non-Conference Play
SJU begins the 2024 season within the friendly confines of Haws Field for the first five games (six of the first seven), starting on Aug. 30 vs. Wartburg, Iowa. The Knights went 12-2-6 and hosted an NCAA Regional last fall. The Johnnies then play host to Carroll (Wis.) Sept. 1, St. Norbert (Wis.) Sept. 6 and Minnesota-Morris Sept. 10. SJU wraps non-conference play Oct. 21 vs. Wisconsin-River Falls in Collegeville. The 2024 season is UWRF's first in men's soccer.

The MIAC Schedule
The Johnnies open MIAC play Sept. 17 vs. Macalester to end the season-opening, five-game homestand and make their first road trip Sept. 21 to Hamline before closing the month Sept. 28 vs. Saint Mary's. SJU visits Augsburg Oct. 2 for a game under the lights and hosts Gustavus Adolphus, which finished 11-4-7 and earned an at-large bid to the 2023 NCAA Tournament, on Friday, Oct. 11.

The team hits the road Oct. 15 to take on Concordia and returns to Collegeville for an Oct. 19 date with Bethel and the first of three-straight home games. The Johnnies travel to face St. Olaf – the reigning NCAA Division III, MIAC regular-season and playoff champions with a 20-3-3 record – Oct. 26 and visits Carleton, which finished 15-3-2 and received an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament last fall, Nov. 2 in the regular-season finale.

MIAC Playoffs
The first round of the six-team MIAC Playoffs is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 4, and the MIAC semifinals follow on Thursday, Nov. 7. The MIAC championship game, with the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III tournament on the line, is set for Saturday, Nov. 9. The high seed hosts in all three rounds.

A LOOK AT THE KNIGHTS: Wartburg (Iowa) finished 12-2-6 (7-2-1 ARC) in 2023 and returns five of the 12 student-athletes who recorded a point last season, including a pair of All-ARC performers in fifth-year defender Curtis Ratzer and sophomore forward Alima Mmunga. Ratzer scored a team-leading six goals, including three game-winners, for 12 points and Mmunga tallied 10 points (3g/4a). The Knights will have a new goalkeeper in net after graduating all 1,800 minutes played and was picked to finish second in the ARC preseason coaches' poll. Wartburg won the ARC playoff championship, earned its 10th trip to the NCAA Tournament and hosted a regional last fall, but fell to Gustavus Adolphus 3-1 in the first round. 

LAST YEAR: SJU fell by a 2-0 decision last Oct. 15 at Wartburg. Junior goalkeeper Sam Steil (Spring Lake Park, Minn.) denied Ratzer on a penalty kick but the save went straight to Paul Devine, who put away the rebound one second into the 30th minute. Steil finished with seven saves in his second start of the season for SJU. Yushin Gossin put away a free kick from Devine in the 60th minute to end the scoring for the Knights. C. Hermanson was denied on a penalty kick in the 83rd minute for SJU, which was out-shot 19-12 (9-4 on goal). His twin brother, Noah, and Rodriguez led the visitors with three shots apiece.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 2-8-1 against the Knights, including a 1-4 record in Collegeville. SJU's lone win on the home pitch was nearly 16 years to the date – a 2-0 shutout on Aug. 29, 2008.

A LOOK AT THE PIONEERS: Carroll (Wis.) went 7-9-1 (2-5-1 CCIW) last fall and was picked to finish eighth in the CCIW preseason coaches' poll. Despite the low forecast, new head coach Andy Kohel returns three student-athletes who recorded 15 points or more in 2023. Junior midfielder Marti Solenalles led the way with 19 points (5g/9a) and senior midfielder Zane Walters matched him with 19 (6g/7a) of his own. Senior forward Josh Gonzaga collected 15 points (6g/3a) and was joined on the All-CCIW team by Solenalles. 

A YEAR AGO: The Johnnies blanked the Pioneers with a 2-0 victory last Sept. 3 in Wisconsin. Midfielder Matt D. Anderson '23 scored what proved to be the game-winning goal on a penalty kick 13:48 into the contest and forward Kaidan Popp '23 provided the insurance goal in the 66th minute on a corner kick from Buxell. Siefken stopped both Carroll shots on goal for his eighth collegiate shutout. 

SERIES HISTORY: SJU is 2-1 all-time against Carroll: W, 2-1 (OT) on Sept. 6, 2015 in Waukesha, Wis.; L, 2-3 (OT) on Sept. 3, 2016 in Collegeville; and 2-0 on Sept. 3, 2023 in Waukesha, Wis.