NEW YORK — The 19th-ranked St. John's Red Storm used five second-half goals to break open a game that played very even through the first 45 minutes, defeating the Columbia men's soccer team, 5-1, Monday night at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium.
 
Columbia (0-2-2) had the two best looks for either side of the opening half. First-year Uri Zeitz got off a solid strike from the far corner of the penalty area that beat St. John's keeper Jan Hoffelner but just missed left of goal. Ten minutes later, first-year defender Max Gonzalez beat a St. John's defender on the near side of the box and took a left-footed shot that required a diving save to Hoffelner's left.
 
St. John's (6-0-0) took six shots in the first half but did not put a single one of those attempts on frame. The Red Storm's best look came in the 21st minute when two shots near goal were both blocked away.
 
All of the scoring came in the second half. St. John's opened it up in the 55th minute on Brandon Knapp's second goal of the year. Knapp's initial shot was stopped by first-year keeper Michael Collodi, but the rebound fell right back to Knapp who finished it off from close range.
 
Fourteen minutes later, Niko Petridis doubled the Red Storm lead. The senior dribbled the ball all the way from just inside the midfield stripe and into the far side of the penalty area. Collodi came rushing off his line to try and stop the attack but Petridis slipped a shot past the Columbia keeper that bounced off the left post and across the line. Petridis later assisted St. John's third goal just a few minutes later that was finished off by Tiago Teixeira.
 
Columbia kept fighting and salvaged a goal in the 83rd minute. Senior John Denis, who scored Columbia's goal on Friday in a 1-1 draw with Army, played a pass through the Danny Laranetto about 30 yards from goal. Laranetto continued his run into the penalty area and fooled St. John's keeper Luka Gavran with a right-footed shot back against Gavran's momentum. The goal was Laranetto's first of the season and the third of his collegiate career.
 
The margin went right back to three goals less than five minutes later when Sanoussi Sangary found an unmarked Tiago Teixeira right in front of goal to make it 4-1. The Red Storm added a fifth on Knapp's second of the night, striking a free kick from a foot off the penalty box just inside the right post.
 
Columbia travels to UConn for its next match on Friday. Kickoff from Storrs, Connecticut is set for 7 p.m.
 
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.