Saint John's soccer plays host to Macalester for the MIAC opener at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17, at Haws Field. – Live Stats | Live Video

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Twelve Johnnies recorded a point in Saint John's (2-2 overall) 9-1 win over Minnesota-Morris last Tuesday (Sept. 10) in Collegeville.

A trio of Johnnies – freshman forward Ronan O'Connor (Woodbury, Minn./Hill-Murray), senior midfielder Christian Rodriguez (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori) and senior forward Mahmoud Soumah (Sartell, Minn./Sartell-St. Stephen) – scored two goals apiece. Three others tallied two assists each: junior midfielder Alex Bowman (Elk River, Minn./Rogers), sophomore midfielder Danny Boyle (Downers Grove, Ill./Benet Academy) and sophomore defender A.J. Miller (Maple Grove, Minn./Osseo).

O'Connor opened the game's scoring with his first collegiate goal in the sixth minute and tacked on the second 10 minutes later. Rodriguez gave SJU a 3-0 halftime lead with the first of his two goals with just under two minutes remaining in the first half.

Bowman scored his second goal in as many games, and 11th of his career, in the 59th minute and junior forward Connor Drong (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral) gave the home team a 5-0 lead with his first goal as a Johnnie 1:21 later.

A miscommunication between an SJU defender and senior goalkeeper Evan Siefken (Lakeville, Minn./North) led to an own-goal and the lone tally for the Cougars in the 63rd minute.

Soumah answered for SJU with his first collegiate tally in the 68th minute, followed by a goal from sophomore forward Andrew Pitzner (Maple Grove, Minn./Heritage Christian Academy) in the 74th and another from Soumah in the 87th. Rodriguez ended the scoring with his fifth collegiate goal with 1:55 to play. 

Siefken made three saves in the win. Two of his three goals allowed so far this fall were own-goals. Junior goalkeeper Sam Steil (Spring Lake Park, Minn.) played the final 11:15 and did not face a shot.

SJU recorded a 35-8 advantage in shots (21-4 on goal) and a 10-2 margin in corner kicks.

9 GOALS: The nine goals scored were the most for SJU in 20 years - a 9-1 win over Northland (Wis.) on Sept. 5, 2004, in Collegeville. The program record is 13, scored in a 13-0, home victory over Cornell (Iowa) exactly 30 years to the date – Sept. 10, 1994. 

MIAC OPENERS: SJU is 28-10-4 in its first conference game of the season since 1981, including a 14-6-2 record when the MIAC opener is in Collegeville.

A LOOK AT THE SCOTS: Macalester (6-1 overall) extended its win streak to five with a 4-0 shutout of Grinnell (Iowa) yesterday (Sept. 15) in St. Paul. The Scots scored three goals in the game's first 22 minutes, including the first two separated by 42 seconds. Senior forward Hans Haenicke leads the team in goals (6), game-winning goals (3) and points (13), while sophomore forward Chris Frantz (2g/6a) and junior midfielder Ondiekl Maina (2g/4a) have eight points apiece. Senior goalkeeper Sam Price has played all but 15:34 in net so far this season and touts a 0.88 GAA and a .829 save percentage (29 saves).

LAST FALL: Then- No. 18 Macalester handed SJU a 5-1 loss in last year's conference opener held Sept. 13 (2023) in St. Paul. The Scots received goals from five different players, including a trio in the first half, for a 3-0 lead. Cody Da opened the scoring 13:49 into the game when a long pass turned into a breakaway and Nick Kent made it 2-0 on a penalty kick, due to an alleged SJU handball in the box, at the 18:44 mark. Zach Liptzin gave the home team a 3-0 lead on a sharp-angle shot that snuck in the top-right corner with 6:47 left in the first half.

Pitzner cut the deficit to 3-1 for SJU with his first collegiate goal in the 74th minute. Macalester, however, answered on a goal from Haenicke 1:44 later and Elijah Edelman ended the scoring on a free kick with 4:18 remaining.

Siefken made 10 saves in 64 minutes of play, while Steil made his collegiate debut and manned the net for the final 26 minutes.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 24-22-3 against the Scots since 1981, including a 17-3-3 record in Collegeville.