PHILADELPHIA – The Saint Joseph's men's soccer squad (2-4-1) will embark on a three-match road stretch over the next nine days, including its final pair of non-conference matches at Central Connecticut and St. John's. The Hawks are 2-1 on the road this season having defeated Howard and Hartford, both by final scores of 1-0, on their last road swing.
Saint Joseph's will kick off the road stretch at Central Connecticut (1-4-2) this Saturday, September 24. Start time at the CCSU Soccer Field in New Britain, Conn. is set for 7:00 p.m. Live streaming of the match will be made available free of charge via NEC Front Row.
Central Connecticut is coming in off of its first win of the season with a 3-0 victory over Manhattan on Wednesday and now stands at 1-3-1 at home this season. Daquan King's two goals, both scored against Manhattan, lead the squad, while goalkeepers Nick Velleca (0-4-0) and Carson D'Ambrosio (1-0-2) have split time in net, with D'Ambrosio picking up the win off the bench last time out.
The meeting will mark the first between the two squads 29 years. The Blue Devils own a 2-0 all-time series edge over the Hawks with a 3-0 victory in 1987 and a 1-0 win in 1986.
Saint Joseph's will then head to St. John's (3-2-2) on Tuesday, September 27 for a 7:00 p.m. start at Belson Stadium in Queens, N.Y. The match will be streamed via ESPN3.
St. John's has tallied wins over Saint Peter's, Princeton, and Holy Cross this season and battled then-#6 Syracuse to a 3-2 double-overtime loss on the road early on. The Red Storm is 2-1-1 at home and will host Seton Hall this Saturday before taking on the Crimson and Gray. St. John's has four players with 4+ points, led by Alistair Johnston (3g) and Harry Cooksley (2g, 3a). Goalkeeper Andrew Withers (2-1-2) has seen a majority of the minutes in net with a 0.38 goals against average and .875 save percentage in 470:00.
The meeting will mark the first between the two squads since 1992, when St. John's earned a 3-2 win at home.
After starting the season 0-3, the Hawks have gone 2-1-1 over their last four matches with road wins over Howard and Hartford, a home loss to Navy, 1-0, and, most recently, a scoreless draw with Villanova this past Tuesday, totaling three clean sheets in four opportunities. SJU's defensive unit is backed by junior goalkeeper Greg O'Connell (2-4-1), who sports a 1.09 goals against average and .789 save percentage in 660:44; in the last four matches, O'Connell has made 15 saves and allowed just one goal in 380:00.
SJU's back line of senior Mike Stuski, juniors Kevin Lockhart and Ben Zambetti, and sophomore Eddie McCusker and midfield unit of seniors Bliss Harris, Sam Irvin, and Eric Jordan and junior Matt Crawford have been solid on the defensive end in multiple full-match efforts.
Led by senior captains Harris and Stuski, SJU returns 19 Hawks, including nine starters and its entire defensive core, and sports a roster of seven seniors, eight juniors, four sophomores, and nine newcomers this fall.
