QUEENS, N.Y. – Off to the program’s best start in conference play in a decade, the St. John’s University men will head to Indianapolis this weekend for a matchup with No. 22 Butler University inside the Sellick Bowl Saturday at 7 p.m.
Following wins over Seton Hall University and Xavier University the last two Saturdays, St. John’s (5-3-1, 2-0-0) has recorded its best start to conference play since the 2007 season, when victories over No. 5 West Virginia and Pittsburgh propelled the Johnnies to a 2-0 record. The last time the Red Storm opened Big East action with three consecutive victories came in 2004, as St. John’s topped West Virginia, No. 23 Seton Hall and Georgetown.
Prior to a loss against Lehigh on Tuesday night in Bethlehem, the Red Storm had been riding a five-game unbeaten streak, the longest for the program since the NCAA Tournament season of 2013. Leading 1-0 late in the game, the Johnnies saw the Mountain Hawks score goals 143 seconds apart in the 77th and 80th minutes en route a 2-1 victory.
Ranked 22nd in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll, Butler enters the weekend with a record of 6-2 with wins in five of its last six contests and a 2-0 mark in league action. Of the Bulldogs’ two losses in 2017, one came at the hands of a top-10 opponent, as then-No. 9 Louisville bested Butler, 1-0, Aug. 28. Sophomore Brandon Guhl, a transfer from SMU, has led the way for the Bulldogs with a Big East-leading seven goals and two assists in the team’s first eight games. Lewis Suddick, who ranked second on the squad with 11 goals as a freshman last season, has settled into a role as a dynamic distributor, leading the league with five assists.
The game will be broadcast live on the Butler Bulldogs Facebook page with Matt Schumaker and Tom Dunmore on the call.
