QUEENS, N.Y. - The No. 14 seed UC Irvine men's soccer team (15-2-6) lost 3-2 to No. 3 seed St. John’s Saturday night in the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Tournament Round of 16 at Belson Stadium.
Sophomore Amani Walker (San Diego/Francis Parker HS) headed in a cross by junior Irving Garcia (San Luis, Ariz./Yavapai College) in the 14th minute to put UCI up 1-0. The Red Storm tied the match in the Joel Gustafsson headed in a centering pass by Sverre Wegge Gundhus in the 30th minute. The Red Storm took a 2-1 lead at the 78:00 mark as Tafadzwa Chiduku headed in the ball following a rebound. Wegge Gundhus put St. John’s up 3-1 in the 83rd minute on a one-timer off a pass from Nelson Becerra. Irving Garcia cut the lead to 3-2 in the 85th minute on a one-timer with an assist from Amani Walker.
Freshman goalkeeper Andrew Fontein (Las Vegas, Nev./Sierra Vista HS) had one save for the ‘Eaters. Keeper Neal Kitson had one save for St. John’s.
The ‘Eaters conclude the season with a program best 15-2-6 record overall.
