Forward Miles Stockman-Willis scored in the 68th minute for the St. Thomas men’s soccer team to tie rival St. John’s, but the Johnnies responded just four minutes later and held on for a 3-2 victory, their first win against the Tommies since 2006.
Midfielder Johnny Mulvahill put St. Thomas (8-6-1, 3-3-1 MIAC) on the board 8:46 into the first half when he took a pass from midfielder Mark Heydt and beat Johnnie goalkeeper Kevin Lebahn to give the Tommies a 1-0 lead.
Both teams struggled to gain much momentum in the first half, combining for only three shots on goal in the first 45 minutes. The Tommies recorded two shots on goal in the first 10 minutes of the match, scoring once. The Johnnies (7-6-0, 4-3-0 MIAC) only managed one shot on target, but goalkeeper Mitchell Wolff kept it out to preserve the Tommie lead.
The Johnnies started the second half strong, scoring two quick goals to take a 2-1 lead.
Midfielder Rocky Harmon scored first for the Johnnies on an assist from forward Robert Deetz. Less than four minutes later, defender Dylan Lehrer received a pass from defender Cole Howard and scored to put the Johnnies ahead 2-1. St. John’s midfielder Alex Niederloh said it was no surprise how his team came out in the second half.
“We’re really good at rallying around each other and picking each other up,” Niederloh said. “We know we’re a second half team, and it showed today.”
After a penalty call against St. John’s, Stockman-Willis was awarded a penalty kick. He failed to score on the penalty kick but capitalized on the rebound to tie the game at 2-2.
“It’s all about solid contact,” Stockman-Willis said. “Luckily the ball popped right back to me and I was able to finish it.”
The Johnnies controlled play in the second half, capitalizing on Tommie mistakes, applying pressure and forcing Wolff to make difficult saves. Wolff said second-half mistakes proved costly in Wednesday’s loss.
“We made a ton of dumb mistakes late in the game, and they really hurt us today,” Wolff said.
The Johnnies answered just 4:08 after Stockman-Willis’ goal to take a decisive lead. After a creative series of passes, Niederloh got an open look in the box and blasted the ball into the net. Forward Paul Wageman and Deetz assisted on Niederloh’s go-ahead goal for the Johnnies.
St. Thomas had a chance in the final minute of play, but St. John’s preserved its lead as the Tommies’ shot sailed off the goal post and out of play. Lebahn made four saves in the victory.
The Johnnies earned three crucial points in the standings with the win and move into fourth in the MIAC. After dropping their last two matches, the Tommies are one of three teams tied for fifth in the conference with 10 points this season. Stockman-Willis said the loss to St. John’s goes beyond the rivalry.
“It’s more than St. John’s, we needed that win for our conference,” Stockman-Willis said. “Our conference is really tight this year, and honestly, we didn’t deserve it today.”
St. Thomas coach Jon Lowery was optimistic for the rest of the year as the team battles for playoff contention.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to find our identity; we’re not out of it,” Lowery said. “We’re in the mix, and our destiny is in our hands.”
St. Thomas will host conference-leading St. Olaf this Saturday.
Travis Swan can be reached at swan9954@stthomas.edu.