No. 22 St. John’s Red Storm defeats Princeton on road

The men’s soccer team traveled to St. John’s Belson Field in Queens, N.Y. on Tuesday to take on the No. 22 Red Storm (9-5-4 overall, 4-3-1 Big East). The Tigers (4-5-1 overall, 1-0-1 Ivy League) fell 2-0, breaking their three-game unbeaten run which most recently included a 0-0 double-overtime draw with Brown.

Coming into the match, St. John’s held a 2-1-2 advantage in the all-time series. Princeton’s last win against this relatively unfamiliar opponent came with a 1-0 victory in 1995.

Senior keeper Seth MacMillan was between the pipes for the game’s 90 minutes. Within the first minute he faced and saved a shot from St. John’s Sean Sepe, who proved to be a huge offensive threat for the Red Storm. At the 9:28 mark, Sepe intercepted a Princeton pass and found the back of the net from 15 yards out.

On the attack, the Tigers earned a pair of corner kicks. Junior defender Myles McGinley’s first service met senior midfielder Patrick O’Neil, whose shot went wide. His second delivery found junior striker Cameron Porter, which resulted in a deflected shot.

The half-hour mark saw Princeton bring in four substitutes. Shortly thereafter, Jimmy Mulligan tested MacMillan with a shot on goal. While the Tigers’ keeper responded with an impressive save, Mulligan lingered for a rebound opportunity, which he converted for the game-winner.

Junior defender Andrew Mills managed another shot on goal before the 45-minute mark, but the Tigers went into the second half down two goals. In the final 45 minutes, Princeton managed nine shots — and two on goal — to its opponents’ three, none of which tested MacMillan. Porter led the Tigers in shots with five and two on goal. Freshman midfielder Brian Costa additionally managed three shots.

In this penultimate non-league game — Princeton’s only non-Ivy opponent remaining being American University — the Tigers outshot their opponents by a margin of 12-9, with an 8-1 advantage in corner kicks.

In addition to the keeper, three of the four players on Princeton’s backline played the entire 90 minutes. Seniors Chris Benedict and Billy McGuinness, sophomore Josh Miller and junior midfielder Joe Saitta played the entirety of the match.

The Tigers’ next matchup comes as they host Ivy League rival Columbia (5-3-2, 0-0-2) this Saturday at Roberts Stadium at 4 p.m.