COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Following a close match Sunday where the Yellowjackets and UW-Eau Claire played to a 1-1 draw, the men's soccer team hit the road to face off against Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) competitor Saint John's (Minn.) Tuesday. The last time these teams met was 2019, where the 'Jackets scored in the 65th minute for their fourth win all-time against the Johnnies in a 1-0 decision.
 
Four years later, the teams would have a very similar storyline, except the Johnnies would be the team to strike and earn the 1-0 victory in their home-opening match at Haws Field.
 
The Yellowjackets outshot the Johnnies 7-2 in the first half, but both backlines held their own and neither team could strike within the first 45 minutes of play.
 
Junior goalkeeper Alex Paredes (Mequon, Wis./Homestead) made five saves in net before Johnnies forward Alex Bowman took a feed from Will Falkman and Carter Hermanson, placing a header in the bottom-left corner for his second goal of the season in the 67th minute of play.
 
Senior Nicolai Stokker (Klokkarstua, Norway/St. Hallvard), junior Josh Bellamy (High Wycombe, England/FAB Football Academy) and sophomores Joel Thomas (Cardiff, Wales/Islwyn) and Freddy Watson (Wendover, England/Berkshire College of Agriculture) each contributed two shots on the evening for a team total of 11, with eight shots on frame. Saint John's compiled 12 total shots with six on target.
 
Johnnies' goalkeeper Evan Siefken played the full 90 minutes in goal, compiling eight saves for his second clean sheet of the campaign.
 
The Yellowjackets (0-1-1, 0-0-0 UMAC) will take the pitch again Sunday, Sept. 10 to face UW-Platteville, a team they haven't faced in nine years. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. at Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium.