The St. John’s Red Storm (8-5-4, 3-3-2 Big East) endured a disappointing 2-2 draw against the Butler Bulldogs (5-10-2, 2-4-2 Big East) on their senior night on Nov. 7th at Belson Stadium.
Both Red Storm goals were scored by freshman Guilherme Gomes. St. John’s played the majority of the second half down a man after senior center back Bjorn Nikolakewski received a straight red card, which was crucial in Butler escaping with a draw.
St. John’s honored eight seniors pregame, thanking them for their countless hours of hard work and dedication to the men’s soccer program. Antonio Biggs, Ank Nibogora, Bjorn Nikolajewski, Jeremy Sharp, Godwin Partey, Alec McLachlan, Julian Jakopovic and Markus Pusztahegyi were all honored alongside their families to commemorate the end of their collegiate soccer careers.
From the opening kickoff, both sides played extremely physically, resulting in twenty total fouls in the match. Bodies hit the turf hard all night long, and every 50-50 ball was fought over as if the players’ lives depended on it. St. John’s did not want to go home winless on a night of celebration.
In the first half, St. John’s controlled possession but played wildly and overly-aggressive on offense, booting balls down the field toward the Butler net that were not creating legitimate chances.
As soon as St. John’s began to slow the pace down and play more controlled soccer toward the midfield, it immediately paid off. Frenchman junior Gabin Thomelier whipped a magnificent left-footed back-post cross, which Gomes finished for his first score of the evening. The Brazilian freshman phenom utilized his 6-foot-2 frame to create separation and tap in Thomelier’s pass.
The first half ended with a 1-0 St. John advantage, thanks to excellent midfield defense from right back Godwin Partey. Every time the Bulldogs had an opening for a counter, Partey would come up with a slick interception or a clean tackle to shut it down.
The first 20 minutes of the second half were dominated by the Red Storm. They had a firm grip on possession and controlled the pace of the game. Then things quickly took a sudden turn in favor of Butler.
St. John’s goalkeeper Alec McLachlan came too far outside of his net, allowing junior Ryan Hannosh to send a cross over to redshirt junior Lou-Kent Bosc for the finish. McLachlan simply overcommitted on a play he presumably thought he would be capable of shutting down.
It was Bosc’s first ever collegiate goal, and the score was knotted up at one.
Shortly after, Red Storm center back Bjorn Nikolakewski picked up a straight red card for violent conduct. A true heart breaker for Nikolakewski, not only did he put his team a man down for the rest of the night, but he will also serve a one-game suspension. This means his collegiate career will likely end on a red card ejection on his senior night.
Now playing a man up, Butler quickly capitalized when Bosc assisted redshirt freshman Brendan Cunningham to take a 2-1 lead. Cunningham ripped a laser beam shot from the left side of the net to the opposite post. The shot was perfectly placed outside of the reach of McLachlan, the Red Storm keeper.
Desperation was immediately shown from St. John’s after Butler took the lead. The Red Storm earned a penalty shot due to a reckless foul inside the box by Butler. Gomes stepped from eleven yards out, stutter-stepped and buried the equalizer for his second score of the night and eighth of his freshman campaign.
The final 17 minutes were action-packed, with both sides desperately trying to break through and find a third goal. St. John’s had one last chance with four seconds on the clock and a corner kick coming. All nine men were in the box for the Red Storm including the goalkeeper, McLachlan, who had a chance to score but whiffed on the header.
As the clock hit zero, St. John’s was stunned. The seniors in particular were in disbelief that they managed to not find a way to pull out a win against a Butler squad that has not done much of anything in 2025.
McLachlan in particular was in disbelief, sitting alone on the turf after whiffing on header and conceding two goals in net. Eventually, his teammates came to pick him up and St. John’s headed for the locker room
This result was not a lack of effort or chances for St. John’s, but rather a lack of execution. The Red Storm could have easily ran away with this game, but they failed to challenge Butler’s goalkeeper, Aurie Brisco. A lot of their shots were right into Briscoe’s hands or wide of the net.
St. John’s men’s soccer will wrap up the regular season on Nov. 9, when they take on the City College of New York Beavers at Belson Stadium.
