QUEENS, NY — The St. John’s Men’s Soccer team is back in full action after finishing off their non-conference games in the 2023 season.
The Johnnies played their last non-conference game on Tuesday, September 27 against Princeton University at Belson Stadium. The Men’s Soccer team secured a 2-1 victory, backed by early goals from Einar Lye and Wesley Leggett.
Following a loss to Seton Hall University at Belson Stadium on October 1, the Men’s Soccer team is 3-6-1 for the season. In the Big East conference, the Johnnies are ranked eighth in the early slate with a 1-2 record.
The Men’s Soccer program is coming off a widely successful season, as the Johnnies went all the way to the first round of the NCAA College Cup last season. They won their first-round matchup and finished with an overall record of 11-6-3.
Graduate student Brandon Knapp talked to the Torch about how he thinks the rest of the season will play out following a 3-1 win vs. Georgetown last month. “We got a good start in the Big East season tonight, so we’ll enjoy it tonight, and then get back to work on Monday,” Knapp said.
The team celebrated the victory but quickly returned their focus to the remaining Big East schedule. Knapp said the team will “just keep trying to work hard, to keep trying to get better each day, to get results in the Big East.”
With a new rule put into place, the 2022 season will look different than any other previous season. The decision was made last spring during a meeting with the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel in April to eliminate all overtime in both men’s and women’s regular season games. The panel consists of 12 members, including six from Division I and three representatives each from Division II and III. St. John’s University and their respective Big East Conference do not have a member on the panel.
However, in postseason and NCAA College Cup games, overtime comes back into play. An additional 10 minutes will be added to the clock for overtime. If neither team can score during this overtime period, penalty kicks will decide the winner.
It’s unclear how the new overtime rules will change the game. The rule change will likely affect the Johnnies more than most teams, as they had eight overtime contests last season. “[It’s] a little different, but [we’re] still focusing and preparing the same way each and every day in practice and in the games,” Knapp said.
The next home game will be on October 5 at Belson Stadium against Xavier.
