The Johnnie soccer team returns to non-conference play by hosting North Central (Minn.) at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22, in Collegeville. – Live Stats | Live Video

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (7-1, 1-1 MIAC) saw its unbeaten streak to start the season end at 659:08 in a 2-0 loss to Gustavus Adolphus on Saturday (Sept. 19) at Haws Field. Gustavus scored once in each half and the two teams combined for 35 fouls.  

The Johnnies bettered GAC in corner kicks in the first half, but a foul put the Gusties in front of the box for a free kick. Sophomore goalkeeper Alex Keekley (St. Louis Park, Minn./Minnetonka) made the initial diving save but lost track of the rebound to give Gustavus a 1-0 lead 19:08 into the contest.  

SJU had a number of chances, including one off the crossbar from freshman defender Billy Cornett (Minneapolis, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall), but couldn't convert in the second half. The Gusties added another in the 78th minute to put the game away.  

Six cards were issued in the game – four on the Gusties and two on SJU. Gustavus out-shot SJU 9-7 on goal but the Johnnies held the edge in total shots, 18-16, and in corner kicks (8-7). 

Keekley finished with seven saves. Sophomore forward Eli Ryan (Victoria, Minn./Minnetonka) led SJU in shots on goal with two, despite a first half injury, while three other Johnnies had three total shots. 

NCAA STATS: The Johnnies currently (through Sept. 20) lead NCAA Division III in assists (33), goals (34), goal differential (+32), penalty-kick percentage (1.000/4-for-4), scoring offense (4.25 gpg. and total points (101). SJU is also second in corner kicks per game (10.00) and shots on goal per game (11.63).  

Individually, Keekley is the Division III leader in shutouts (5), Ryan is second in assists (6) and Cornett is third in game-winning goals (3).  

A LOOK AT THE RAMS: North Central (1-5, 1-1 UMAC) picked up its first win of the season – 6-0 – over Martin Luther on Saturday night (Sept. 19) in Minneapolis. Junior forward David Ajayi, who leads the team in goals (3) and points (6), and sophomore forward Steven Griffith tallied two goals apiece. Freshman goalkeeper Alex Gianikas is 1-4 with a 2.51 GAA and a .739 save percentage (34 saves) this fall. 

LAST FALL: SJU soared to a 7-0 victory over North Central last Sept. 11 (2025) in Minneapolis. Junior forward Ronan O'Connor (Woodbury, Minn./Hill-Murray), the reigning MIAC Offensive Player of the Week at the time, scored the first hat trick of his career and extended his goal streak to five games after tallying the Johnnies' first, second and sixth goals. He assisted the fifth for a seven-point game, bettering his five-point outing against Crown the week before (Sept. 3). O'Connor's seven points were the most by any player in a single game since 2000 and the hat trick was SJU's first in six years since Ben Becker '20 scored three in SJU's 5-2 victory at Northwestern on Sept. 7, 2019.  

The seven goals scored were the most by the Johnnies, on the road, since Oct. 1, 1994 – an 8-0 victory at Hamline. 

Sophomore midfielder Ike Deuel (Maple Grove, Minn.) quarterbacked the first goal of the game in the 13th minute, walking the ball from the Johnnies' defensive half through the North Central formation. Deuel chipped a pass through the gap to defender Carter Hermanson '26, who was fronted by the Rams' aggressive keeper. Hermanson nudged the ball to O'Connor, who buried the eventual game-winner, his third of the year.  

Seven minutes later, O'Connor connected with Hermanson once more for the second of the game. Hermanson attempted a shot that landed off-target and deflected off the body of classmate Alex Bowman '26. The ball slipped through the hands of the leaping NCU goalkeeper and onto the right foot of O'Connor, who just needed a light tap to double the lead. 

Junior forward Micah O'Leary (Phoenix, Ariz./Casa Grande) put the Johnnies' up 3-0 before the end of the half, playing another second-chance opportunity, this time created by a Thomas Theising (Minneapolis, Minn./Wayzata) free kick. Theising's ball deflected off Ryan in front of sophomore forward Axel Martin (Lakeville, Minn./Rosemount), who delivered the assist on O'Leary's first collegiate tally. 

A frustrated Ram defense conceded a penalty kick five minutes after the break, as sophomore midfielder James Torguson (Shakopee, Minn.) drew the call in the box. Martin delivered the goal, the first of his career and fourth for the Johnnies.  

Momentum carried into another collegiate first, this time for sophomore forward Lisle Cherwien (Mound, Minn./Orono), who put SJU up 5-0 six minutes later. A foul in the Johnnies' defensive half of the field resulted in a free kick for Ryan, who booted the ball nearly all the way down the field to O'Connor, who set up Cherwien with a high pass in the box that he headed into the goal.  

O'Connor completed his hat trick after a North Central defensive blunder gave the ball to an attacking Carter Gellner (Chaska, Minn./Chanhassen), who passed the ball to O'Connor for goal six of the afternoon.  

The goal helped O'Connor secure SJU's first 20-point season since Kagan Foster '20 totaled 26 (11g/4a) in 18 games during the 2019 season. 

The seventh and final tally came off the head of defender Noah Hermanson '26, who found the right corner off a Matt Holmes corner kick.  

In total, SJU out-shot North Central 26-3 and 15-3 in shots on goal. Sophomore Austin Ertel (Brownsburg, Ind./Lawrence Central) made all three saves for his second-consecutive shutout, while a pair of NCU keepers made eight saves. SJU also held the advantage in corner kicks, 13-1.