NEW YORK — Columbia men's soccer (0-1-2) will play host to a nationally ranked opponent for the first time since 2012, as the Lions get set to take on No. 19 St. John's (5-0-0) Monday night at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.

Fans unable to attend the game can watch the action live on ESPN+. Live stats will be provided by GoColumbiaLions.com. Fans can also keep up with the match on Twitter by following @ColumbiaMSoccer.
 
5 THINGS TO KNOW
 
1. TOP 25 SHOWDOWN
Monday night's game will mark the first time Columbia has played a top 25 team at home since Nov. 10, 2012, when the Lions hosted No. 14 Cornell in the season finale. The last time Columbia defeated a top 25 team at Commisso Soccer Stadium was back on Sept. 14, 2008, stunning No. 6 UC Santa Barbara, 3-1. Last season, the Lions were 1-1 against nationally ranked opponents, defeating Butler on the road in overtime, 2-1, and falling to Fordham in the Bronx, 1-0.
 
2. LOCAL RIVALRY RENEWED
Just as Columbia hasn't hosted a top 25 in seven years, so too the Lions have not played St. John's in seven years. The last meeting between the two sides came in Queens on Sept. 25, 2012, when the then-15th-ranked Red Storm took a 3-1 victory at Belson Stadium. The 2012 matchup was the first in the series since 1989. Columbia dominated St. John's through the 80's, winning all seven matches through the decade. The Lions lead the all-time series 7-1-0 entering Monday night.
 
3. DENIS NETS 13TH ON THE 13TH
Senior midfielder John Denis scored his 13th career goal in the Friday the 13th home opener against Army. Six minutes after the Black Knights opened the scoring, Denis came streaking through the penalty area to send a Uri Zeitz cross into the back of the net. The goal was Denis's first of his senior campaign while his 13 career goals lead all active Lions.
 
4. NON-CONFERENCE HOME SUCCESS
The Lions are unbeaten in five straight non-conference home matches, holding a record of 4-0-1 over that time and outscoring opponents by a margin of 13-2. Columbia's last non-conference defeat at home came Oct. 3, 2017 in a 1-0 loss to Pitt. Despite the loss, Columbia went on to win the Ivy League title and defeat William & Mary in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
5. TALLYING UP FRIDAY'S DRAW
- John Denis scored his first goal of the season in the 41st minute, marking his 13th career goal.
- First-year Uri Zeitz tallied his first collegiate assist.
- Junior Beto Carrillo notched his first assist of the season and eighth of his career.
- Columbia extended its unbeaten streak in home openers to seven straight years.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
 
St. John's has matched its best start in program history with five straight wins to begin the season. It's the first time since 1995 that the Red Storm have started 5-0-0, most recently defeating Penn, 1-0, on Friday at Belson Stadium. Tani Oluwaseyi scored the game-winning goal in the 80th minute, which was also the sophomore's team-leading third goal of the season.
 
The Red Storm began the season with road wins at Appalachian State, 2-0, and North Carolina State, 1-0 (2OT). They returned to Queens for their home opener on September 6, disposing of Manhattan College, 3-0. A 3-2 win over Iona preceded Friday's victory over the Quakers. St. John's has outscored the opponent by a margin of 10-2 entering Monday with seven different goal scorers.
 
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For the latest on the Columbia men's soccer program, follow @ColumbiaMSoccer on Twitter and Instagram, on Facebook at Facebook.com/ColumbiaMensSoccer and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.