In a tightly contested Big East clash, the St. John’s Red Storm fell 1-0 to the Seton Hall Pirates on Oct. 25, unable to find an equalizer after a Pirate goal in the first half. The loss drops St. John’s to 2-3-1 in conference play, while Seton Hall continues its impressive undefeated run at 3-0-3.
Red flags dipped in Johnnies white swayed weightlessly over the bleachers of Belson Stadium, contrary to the Johnnies, who had been firm in standing their ground at home. Prior to Oct. 25, the Johnnies had lost just one game playing in Queens, a record that the Johnnies wanted to hold onto from the moment the whistle rang.
The first 25 minutes of the game offered little in terms of attacking play. The Queens sky saw the ball in the air for long stretches, and both teams were having trouble keeping the ball and establishing rhythm. The first real chance of the night came when junior forward Gabin Thomelier won a header that bounced alone ahead of Jayden Montgomery. The freshman saw green grass ahead of him with just about 20 yards between him and the net. Excitement got the best of him, and his bad touch left the ball safe in the Pirate goalkeeper’s hands, a moment that would later loom large.
Seton Hall was poking holes in the Johnnie defense, which led them to gain a free kick for senior midfielder Axel Berglund to stand over. He put quite a lot of air under the ball, and it found the head of Agustin Resch on its descent. Resch headed the ball into the six-yard box, leaving Johnnie defenders hopeless and Mikkel Lejbowicz completely open in front of goal. The Dane pounced toward the opportunity and put The Hall up with a leaping finish.
The Red Storm walked into the locker room trailing 1-0.
In the second half, the Johnnies’ quickly aimed to pull back their deficit. They pressed higher and constantly tried to get the ball into the flanks, particularly on the right-hand side. Unluckily, every surge of momentum seemed to hit a wall, and that wall was senior defender Resch. A 6-foot-6-inch block of Argentinian cement, Resch was having a great night in the backline. The senior was clearing any look at goal the Johnnies could muster, and doing a great job keeping the Red Storm’s Thomelier passive.
While the Johnnies looked to equalize, they tended to leave some gaping holes in their midfield, which the Pirates were quick to capitalize on. The second half also saw multiple chances for the Pirates, especially on the break. But senior goalkeeper Alec McLachlan was doing everything he could to keep his team in the game, registering four acrobatic saves to keep the deficit at one and give his team hope of scoring a late equalizer.
Seton Hall remained composed, careful in possession and continuing to dominate aerial duels. The Red Storm was struggling to connect in the final third, relying on crosses that were only creating a stronger sense of security for the Pirates.
The final whistle blew, and the St. John’s players walked downcast out of the pitch, only thinking about the immense uphill battle they’ll be fighting for a playoff spot. Seton Hall had themselves a party in the locker room, celebrating another statement win and their clean loss column.
David Masur’s team will look to regroup quickly as they look towards their remaining two conference games. With postseason hopes on the line, the Johnnies will need to rediscover their attacking prowess and find a way to be more clinical in front of goal.
The Red Storm will aim to pick themselves up this week, as they prepare to face Villanova in a pivotal matchup on Nov. 1.
