Freshman forward Mike Prosuk is a star in the making for the St. John’s University men’s soccer team.
Led by Prosuk’s two goals, the Red Storm defeated DePaul 2-0 in their Halloween game at Wish Field in Chicago.
In the 35th minute, freshman defenseman Marcus Lindqvist put a spectacular cross into the 18-yard box for Prosuk, who used all of his 6’ 5” frame to outjump the defender and give St. John’s a 1-0 lead late in the first half.
The score remained the same late into the second half, when Filippo Ricupati controlled a volley and put a bouncing through-ball in for Prosuk, who slid it past hard-charging goalie Mack Robinson in the 87th minute for his second goal of the game to secure the 2-0 win.
Offensively, St. John’s was potent all game long for the Red Storm. Prosuk had a header saved by Robinson in the second minute, the first of 19 shots on goal for the team. Ricupati had a shot deflected over the crossbar, Prosuk again had a shot saved in the 11th minute and Marti Tapia had one saved by Robinson in the 14th.
The constant pressure paid off on the team’s 11th shot in the first half with Prosuk’s header. However, he wasn’t the only one providing offensive pressure. Ricupati, Tapia and Luis Esteves all had multiple chances for St. John’s, who earned their first victory since a 1-0 win over Seton Hall on Oct. 3.
The offensive display was noted by head coach Dave Masur. “We’ve battled through a number of tight games and our guys have continued to show their resilience, determination and willingness to keep fighting,” he said. “I thought we set the tone with a good start and then the game really opened up, a bit more than your typical Big East match.”
After Saturday’s win, Prosuk is now the top scorer on the team this season with five goals.
Lindqvist and Stagmiller were credited with their first assists of the season, and Ricupati tallied his second assist of the year.
All that was left for the Red Storm was to continue their stout defensive play. DePaul didn’t get their first chance until the 13th minute and didn’t challenge Stagmiller until he saved back-to-back chances to open up the second half. The Blue Demons outshot St. John’s in the second half, but the confident play of Stagmiller kept the shutout intact.
The team held DePaul to just six shots in the first half and nine in the second while most of the game was played in the offensive half of the field. Jordan Stagmiller, helped out by a tough defensive group, recorded six saves to earn his fifth shutout overall and fourth in conference play. After Saturday’s game, St. John’s is now 4-10-3 overall and 2-4-2 in the Big East.
The Red Storm finishes their regular season with a road game against Providence on Nov. 5.
