Red Storm concludes season that saw 22nd NCAA Tournament berth
November 22, 2021
Traveling across the country to face the top-seeded team in the nation, the St. John's men's soccer squad fell to No. 1 Oregon, 2-0, on Sunday night at Lorenz Field in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
With the loss, St. John's finishes the season with a record of 11-6-3. The Red Storm earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the 22nd time in the last 30 seasons and won at least one NCAA Tournament game for the 14th time in program.
St. John's finished in sole possession of third place in the BIG EAST, a league that saw five teams advance to the round of 32.
Oregon State (13-2-3) controlled the action in the early going, registering a quality chance in the fifth minute that required a Luka Gavran stop before breaking through in the 11th minute. Carlos Moliner took a shot from the right flank that was stopped by Gavran, but Mouhameth Thiam was waiting on the other side to bury the rebound and give the Beavers a 1-0 edge.
Oregon State built a 6-0 shot advantage before the Red Storm logged its best chances of the night in the closing seconds of the first half. On the team's first corner kick of the evening, Jared Juleau placed a perfect ball to Brandon Knapp at the edge of the six, but the senior's header rang off the bar. Aidan Borra put a head on the rebound, but he also hit the top woodwork. Following the Johnnies' second chance, Oregon State finally managed to clear the box and preserve its 1-0 lead heading into the intermission.
St. John's carried over some momentum to the other side of the break, as Johan Aquilon sent a shot wide in the 52nd minute.
In the 71st minute, Gavran made a spectacular stop on OSU's Dante Williams, diving and punching away a rocketed shot that appeared destined for the upper 90. Gavran finished the night with six saves, matching a career high.
St. John's put together a dangerous sequence in the 78th minute, as Aquilon played a ball into the box that Knapp headed just over the bar.
With just over five minutes remaining, Javier Armas scored off a corner kick for Oregon State, giving the Beavers a late two-goal cushion.