As August comes to a close, the new St. John's men soccer season opens with a matchup against a young Boston University team tonight at 8 pm at Belson Stadium. The Johnnies, picked to win the Big East's Red Division by a close margin, return six starters from last year's Big East Champion team and NCAA Tournament squad.
The returnees include Jack Bennett, who started all 23 games and scored 6 goals on the season, winning the Most Outstanding Offensive Player in the 2011 Big East Tournament. Defenseman Tim Parker also returns - he was a Big East All-Rookie selection last season.
St. John's last faced the Boston University Terriers last September, winning 1-0 in Boston. The Terriers are led by senior Michael Bustamante, who redshirted last season because of an injury, Senegalese sophomore Dominique Badji, defenseman Kevin Madzowonge, and goalkeeper Nick Thomson. The Terriers went 9-9-0 last season, and won the America East conference championship.
The St. John's women will be in action first at 5 pm, taking on Air Force. The women's team is 1-1-0, after a last weekend's win over George Mason in Queens and a loss to Penn State on the Nittany Lions' home pitch.
Look for tweets and more coverage from the Rumble's Tim Dimas.
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