Men's Soccer Meets First Ranked Opponent of 2006
9/26/2006 6:44:09 PM | Men's Soccer
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Syracuse men’s soccer team (4-5-0, 0-5-0) goes on the road for the second consecutive game when it travels to Queens, N.Y. for a 7:30 p.m. showdown with Red Division rival #23 St. John’s (6-2-1, 3-1-1) at Belson Stadium. It is the first match of the year for Syracuse against a team ranked in the national polls. Head coach Dean Foti’s teams have had success against the nation’s best in recent years with 11 wins since the beginning of the 1997 season versus ranked foes.
The Orange has not won a BIG EAST game in 2006, but remains just three points away from tying DePaul for the division’s final BIG EAST Tournament berth. In addition to the Red Storm, SU will have two more chances to claim its first league triumph before playing its final non-conference game of the season against Hartwick on Oct. 10. Following the St. John’s match, the Orange will host Louisville on Oct. 1 and compete at Villanova on Oct. 7.
St. John’s is ranked is ranked 23rd in the most recent NSCAA national poll and 17th in the Soccer Times poll. The Red Storm is 6-2-1 overall and owns a 3-1-1 record in the conference. St. John’s has 10 points and is in second place in the Red Division. Five of the Red Storm’s six victories have been by shutout, including back-to-back 1-0 wins against Louisville and Providence. The Red Storm defense has not allowed a score since Sept. 10 at Georgetown. In addition to its shutouts versus the Cardinals and Friars, St. John’s also played Connecticut to a scoreless draw. The Red Storm’s current shutout streak stands at 363:15. St. John’s has allowed seven goals this year, tied for the fewest in the league and owns a team goals against average of 0.75, the second-best mark in the conference.
Head coach Dave Masur is in his 16th season in Queens. He led the Red Storm to the 1996 national championship and St. John’s is the only program in the nation to reach the round of 16 in each of the last 10 NCAA Tournaments. Ryan Soroka, Jeff Stepan and Patrik Engstrom lead the Red Storm with three goals apiece and Soroka is the team leader in points (10). Goalkeeper Jason Landers is tied for the BIG EAST lead with five shutouts.
St. John’s leads the all-time series against the Orange, 14-7-4, and is 7-0-1 versus Syracuse in the last eight meetings. The last time the Orange defeated the Red Storm was in 1996 by the score of 2-0 and SU has beaten St. John’s just once since Dean Foti took over the program in 1991. In six of the last eight contests the Red Storm has held SU without a goal and has posted shutouts in the last two pairings. The last time the Orange scored against the Red Storm was in 2002 when the two clubs played to a 1-1 draw. The longest SU winning streak in the series is three (1988-90).
