No. 17 Saint John's travels to face Augsburg at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, at Edor Nelson Field in Minneapolis. – Live Stats | Live Video

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (12-1, 4-1 MIAC) blanked Hamline 7-0 for its 10th shutout of the season on Tuesday (Oct. 6) at Haws Field. Freshman forward Jacob Oliver (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral) scored a hat trick off the bench to increase his team lead in goals to nine. Ten other Johnnies had points in the game and a total of 31 SJU players saw time on the field. 

SJU was plagued with fouls to start the game – 6-3 in the first 25 minutes – but out-shot Hamline 5-1 in that same period. Freshman defender Aidan Buckneberg (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Southwest) broke the stalemate with his first collegiate goal at 26:25 on a kick from outside the box. 

Oliver added his first tally of the game as time ticked down in the first half, tapping in a feed from freshman forward Andrew Panner (Minnetonka, Minn./Shattuck-St. Mary's) and junior forward Ronan O'Connor (Woodbury, Minn./Hill-Murray) after the Johnnies hit it off the crossbar twice. 

Fellow freshman Billy Cornett (Minneapolis, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) wasted no time extending the lead, heading in a sophomore James Torguson (Shakopee, Minn.) corner kick at 47:28. Freshman midfielder Grady Monette (Andover, Minn.) scored his fourth goal of the season less than two minutes later off a cross into the box from sophomore forward Eli Ryan (Victoria, Minn./Minnetonka) for his 11th assist of the season.

Oliver tapped in two more in the box, one off a pass from Martin and the other off a Thomas Theising (Minneapolis, Minn./Wayzata) throw-in to complete the hat trick. 

Sophomore Peter Alberigi (Frisco, Texas/Founders Classical Academy) capped the game's scoring in the 88th minute after freshman Adam Bane's (Woodbury, Minn.) shot off the post deflected to Alberigi in the box.

Sophomore goalkeeper Alex Keekley (St. Louis Park, Minn./Minnetonka) got the start and made two saves in goal while classmate Austin Ertel (Brownsburg, Ind./Lawrence Central) finished the shutout in the game's final 34:23.

FRESHMAN HAT TRICK: Oliver's hat trick on Tuesday was the third by a Johnnie freshman since 2000, joining teammate Axel Martin (Sept. 22, 2025 vs. St. Scholastica) and Michael Coborn '14 (Oct. 26, 2010 vs. Macalester). Martin and Coborn, however, were in the starting lineup in their three-goal performances.

12-1: The Johnnies' 12-1 start to the 2026 season is the program's best since 1986, when SJU opened with 14-straight wins before falling to UC-San Diego in the second round of the NCAA Tournament for that year's only loss.

NEW RANKINGS: SJU vaulted seven spots to No. 17 in the latest United Soccer Coaches' (USC) top 25 poll released Tuesday (Oct. 6) and stayed at No. 2 in the Region IX poll.

United Soccer Coaches Region IX Rankings
1. St. Olaf (No. 1 nationally)
2. SJU (No. 17 nationally)
3. Gustavus Adolphus
4. Wisconsin-Eau Claire
5. Luther (Iowa)
6. Macalester
7. Augsburg
8. Wartburg (Iowa)

The Johnnies are currently (Oct. 9) No. 10 nationally in the Massey ratings.

NCAA LEADERS: The Johnnies currently (through Oct. 8) lead all divisions of NCAA soccer in assists (65), corner kicks per game (10.08), goals (60), goal differential (+56), penalty-kick percentage (1.000/7-for-7), scoring offense (4.62 gpg.), shots on goal per game (11.56) and total points (185).

Individually, Ryan is tied for the Division III lead in assists (11), while Keekley is seventh nationally in both GAA (0.319) and save percentage (.903), and eighth in shutouts (6).

A LOOK AT THE AUGGIES: Augsburg (3-1-6, 2-1-2 MIAC) played Wisconsin-Eau Claire to its second-straight draw – 3-3 – on Tuesday (Oct. 6) across the border. Sophomore forward Caleb Ibarra tied the game at 1-1 in the 24th minute (23:58) and again at 2-2 in the 72nd minute (71:47) to start a flurry of goals. UWEC gained its third lead of the game less than three minutes later (74:25) before junior midfielder Christopher Plaza Alvarado tallied the equalizer at the 77:14 mark. The Auggies registered a 22-20 edge in shots (10-8 on net) and in corner kicks (4-2). Freshman forward Liam Paradiso leads the team in goals (5) and points (11), while Ibarra (4g/2a) and senior midfielder Asher Johnson (3g/4a) have 10 points apiece. Freshman Finnur Mercier has all 10 decisions in goal with a 0.94 GAA and a .804 save percentage (37 saves).

LAST SEASON'S MEETINGS: SJU was responsible for two of the Auggies' three losses in 2025.

at Saint John's 5, Augsburg 2 (Sept. 30, 2025)
SJU bounced back from an early 1-0 deficit with three-straight goals en route to a 5-2 win over then-No. 3 Augsburg at Haws Field. The Auggies struck first, as Ceazar Daniell walked through the Saint John's defense just 2:54 into play. 

SJU responded less than three minutes later, taking advantage of a short corner kick between Asher Wynn and defender Noah Hermanson '26. Wynn fed Hermanson the ball from the corner, who launched it over the box and to the head of defender Foster Conlin '26 for his third goal of the season. 

The Johnnies became the first team in 11 games to score a second goal on Augsburg, as junior forward Ronan O'Connor (Woodbury, Minn./Hill-Murray) tallied his team- and MIAC-leading 11th of the season. Sophomore midfielder Olin Franzwa (St. Paul, Minn./Woodbury) gathered a misplaced Augsburg free kick and sent it to the foot of Ryan, who booted it down the field. A racing O'Connor tucked the ball between the Augsburg keeper's legs for the lead.

Sophomore forward Gabe Franzman (Bettendorf, Iowa) scored an unconventional third goal that proved to be the game-winner in minute 32, as his throw in from the sideline tipped off the Auggie keeper's hands and into the goal. 

Two minutes later, Augsburg was awarded a penalty kick which resulted in the team's MIAC-leading third PK goal of the season and a 3-2 SJU lead at the break. 

The Auggies applied sustained pressure for nearly 10 minutes after halftime, but a highlight-reel goal off the heads of sophomore Lisle Cherwien (Mound, Minn./Orono) and Conlin put the game out of reach. A free kick from Wynn on the sideline ended up in the box for Conlin, who headed the ball laterally to his teammate for goal four. 

Ryan got one of his own two minutes later, the first of his collegiate career, attacking down the goal line for a sharp-angle shot that beat the Augsburg keeper on the post.

Sophomore goalkeeper Cole Hanson (Urbandale, Iowa) made eight saves to record his first collegiate win in his second start as a Johnnie. The Auggies posted a 23-12 advantage in shots (10-7 on net) and a 9-5 edge in corner kicks.

The two teams combined for seven cards in the contest. Augsburg was issued a straight red card in the 75th minute and played a man down for the final 25:08.

Saint John's 2, at Augsburg 1 (MIAC Quarterfinals; Nov. 3, 2025)
Shorthanded SJU upset then-No. 6 Augsburg 2-1 in the MIAC quarterfinals in Minneapolis. The Johnnies played down two men on the field for the game's final 15:08 due to two red cards.

The 11-to-9 advantage failed to slow SJU and forward Alex Bowman '26, who scored the game-winning goal with just 4:37 remaining. Bowman was one of three Johnnie attackers positioned at the top of the box for a long free kick from Conlin and headed the ball in above the Auggie defense and goalkeeper on a well-timed jump. The goal was his third of the season, 16th of his career and fifth game-winner.

Ryan gave the sixth-seeded Johnnies a 1-0 lead with his second goal of the season in the 38th minute. After a long free kick from Foster Conlin that bounced off an Auggie, junior midfielder Thomas Theising (Minneapolis, Minn./Wayzata) played the ball wide to Ryan. He danced through two defenders and launched a ball into the top right corner of the net.

The tide turned, however, when Franzwa was issued his second yellow card of the game for a red from just outside the SJU box with 16:51 left. Hanson made the initial save on the ensuing free kick but Daniell put away the rebound to tie the game at 1-1.

Franzman, like Franzwa, was tagged with his second yellow card 1:43 later (15:08 mark), leaving SJU with only nine men on the field.

The Auggies came close to tying the game late, as Eric Riera hit the crossbar early in the 87th minute and Hanson made a sprawling save of Christopher Plaza Alvarado's desperation shot with three seconds left. Hanson made a career-high 12 saves to improve his record to 8-2-1 on the season.

Augsburg posted a 32-20 margin in shots (13-9 on goal) and a 9-7 edge in corner kicks. Each team received four yellow cards.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 45-13-12 all-time against the Auggies on the soccer pitch, including an 18-6-5 record in Minneapolis. SJU is 3-0-3 in the last six meetings (8-2-3 in the last 13) against the Auggies, but just 3-5-2 in its last 10 trips to Edor Nelson Field.