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Men's Soccer

Syracuse men’s soccer opponent preview: What to know about St. John’s

Tony Curtis | Contributing Photographer

Syracuse faces St. John's at 7 p.m. on Sunday.

No. 6 Syracuse (3-0) will look to continue its perfect start to the season on Sunday at 7 p.m. against St. John’s (1-0-1) at SU Soccer Stadium.

Here’s everything you need to know prior to the match.

All-time series: St. John’s leads 19-8-6

Last time they played: These two teams last played almost exactly two years ago. On Sept. 6, 2014, the Orange traveled to Queens to play the Red Storm. A goal in the seventh minute by Chris Nanco ended up being the only scoring in the game in the victory for Syracuse.

The St. John’s report: The Red Storm hasn’t had a winning season since 2013, going 4-11-3 last year. St. John’s had only two players score three or more goals in 2015, and both return this year. Through two games the team has split the goalkeeping duties between Michael Bernardi and Andrew Withers, with the former getting 20 more minutes.



How Syracuse beats St. John’s: There really shouldn’t be a reason SU loses. The Orange is more experienced and more talented than the Red Storm. The starting 11 players in the Red Storm’s game on Wednesday had a combined 72 minutes of Division-I experience, and the goalie situation is up in the air.

Stats to Know:

5 — The number of saves SU goalie Hendrik Hilpert has had to make through three games on the season.

190 — Last year St. John’s ranked 190th out of 210 teams in average goals per game with a mark of 0.72.

63 — Five of the eight Orange goals (63 percent) on the season have come in the second half.

Player to Watch: Mike Prosuk, forward, No. 18

As a freshman Prosuk led the Red Storm in scoring with five goals. He’s scoreless through two games but is third on the team in shots. The 6-foot-6, 185-pound striker is two inches taller than any Orange player. The closest one is Syracuse senior Oskar Sewerin, who stands at 6 feet 4 inches, but hasn’t played this year. The next closest in height (not including goalkeepers) is Miles Robinson who is a full four inches shorter. Keeping Prosuk away from high balls in the box will be a tall order and probably one that falls on Robinson’s shoulders.





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