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St. Johns University (NY)

St. John's University, Dept of Athletics
 8000 Utopia Parkway Queens, NY 11439
Division 1 New York Northeast
Private Large National competitor
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Dr. Dave Masur

The third-winningest active Division I head men's soccer coach by victories (442) and the 22nd-winningest by percentage (.665), Dr. Dave Masur enters his 37th season as a head coach in 2023 with a 442-197-104 overall record that includes a 389-176-98 mark in 32 seasons at St. John's. During his tenure in Queens, St. John's has won a national championship (1996), made four appearances in the NCAA College Cup (1996, 2001, 2003 and 2008) and reached 22 NCAA Tournaments, including 15-straight from 1992-2006. A testament to the program's consistent success, the Red Storm was the only program in the nation to reach 10-consecutive NCAA Tournament Rounds of 16 from 1996-2005. With Masur on the sidelines, the Red Storm has won a conference-record nine BIG EAST Tournament titles as well as six BIG EAST regular season crowns, and has earned 29 BIG EAST Tournament berths.


Masur has instilled a team-first focus and an emphasis on group leadership and overall preparation to a St. John's program that has risen to the upper echelon of collegiate soccer. The Red Storm has garnered numerous team, individual and academic achievements, and Masur has guided the squad to an average of more than 12 wins per season.


Individual accomplishments are as varied for Masur as they are for the many highly decorated players he has coached. The Montclair, N.J., native has twice been named national coach of the year - by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/United Soccer Coaches in 1996 and by Soccer America in 2001. He is also a two-time collegiate All-American, a four-time BIG EAST Coach of the Year and a six-time Northeast Region Coach of the Year. Masur is also a member of the St. John's University, Rutgers University, Columbia High School, New Jersey Soccer and Columbia Soccer halls of fame.


Chris Wingert’s 2003 MAC Hermann Trophy as the nation's top collegiate player highlights an impressive list of individual honors for Masur’s student-athletes. Red Storm players have combined for 15 All-America, 72 All-Region and 109 All-BIG EAST selections in his tenure. Additionally, 15 players have been selected in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft.


In addition to his work on the sidelines, Masur has excelled in the academic realm. He holds a doctorate in education administration supervision from St. John's, an M.A. in physical education from Montclair State and a B.S. in sports management from Rutgers and has instilled his value of education to each of the hundreds of players he has coached.


Wingert and Matt Groenwald were both named College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-Americans of the Year. Since CoSIDA began awarding Academic All-America and Academic All-District honors, Red Storm players have racked up 19 All-District and nine All-America selections. Wingert and Groenwald earned Academic All-America honors three times each, while Jeff Stepan earned Academic All-America accolades twice. As a team, the squad has earned the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Team Academic Award 14 times.


In 2022, St. John’s reached the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three opportunities and the 22nd time overall in program history after finishing third in the BIG EAST. The Johnnies turned in an overall record of 11-6-3, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Oregon State after taking down Princeton in the opener at Belson Stadium. After the season, BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year Luka Gavran became the first St. John’s player to be named an All-American since 2008 and was one of three Johnnies alongside Lucas Bartlett and Tani Oluwaseyi to be selected in the MLS SuperDraft. Bartlett, a First Team All-BIG EAST selection, became the highest draft pick in program history after going sixth overall to FC Dallas.


St. John's reemerged as a national contender in 2019, returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013 and earning a national seed (no. 16) for the ninth time in program history. The team reached the NCAA Round of 16 for the 12th time under Masur after rising as high as no. 4 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and no. 1 in the RPI in late October. Masur led the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year while Tani Oluwaseyi was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year and Jan Hoffelner took home BIG EAST Co-Goalkeeper of the Year honors. Four other Johnnies earned spots on All-BIG EAST Teams, as Brandon Duarte and Skage Simonsen made the second team while Brandon Knapp and Einar Lye took home third team designation.


After a four-year absence from 2013-16, the Red Storm has qualified for the six-team BIG EAST Men’s Soccer Championship in each of the past four of the past five seasons. In 2017, BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year Harry Cooksley and BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year David Enstrom captained St. John’s to a 5-2-2 conference mark and a third place finish in the regular season standings. The Red Storm downed Creighton in the quarterfinals before falling to Georgetown in its first semifinal appearance since 2011. In 2018, Masur guided Skage Simonsen to BIG EAST Freshman of the Year honors, as the 6-foot-3 Norwegian became the first St. John’s player to claim the award since Wojtek Krakowiak in the national championship season of 1996.


Following the 2014 season, Tim Parker was chosen by Vancouver Whitecaps FC with the 13th overall pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. The first player in program-history to be selected in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft, Parker capped his standout four-year Red Storm career by earning both third team NSCAA All-Region accolades and unanimous First Team All-BIG EAST honors as a senior.


The 20th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history highlighted the 2013 season as St. John's advanced to the Second Round and posted an 11-7-2 record. Tim Parker earned First Team All-BIG EAST honors as the squad had four all-conference selections for the second-straight season. St. John's also had three players earn NSCAA All-Northeast Region honors for the second-straight season as Parker, a first team honoree, was joined by third team selections Rafael Diaz and Jimmy Mulligan. The team also earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award, while Mulligan garnered third team NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-America accolades.


St. John's finished 10-5-4 in 2012 and capped the season by advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five seasons and 19th time in program-history. Led by a quartet of All-BIG EAST selections, including first teamers Jack Bennett and Rafael Diaz, and second team honorees Tim Parker and Jamie Thomas, the Red Storm posted eight shutouts and a 0.75 goals against average. Bennett, Diaz and Parker also earned NSCAA All-Northeast Region honors as the Red Storm garnered its most all-region selections since 2008.


A conference-record ninth BIG EAST Tournament crown highlighted a 2011 season that also featured the 18th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. Connor Lade earned both first team NSCAA All-Region and second team All-BIG EAST honors and Pablo Punyed was named the BIG EAST Co-Midfielder of the Year, the fourth St. John's player to earn the award. Masur recorded both his 350th head coaching win and his 300th St. John's win as the squad finished with a 14-7-2 mark. Lade signed a homegrown contract with the New York Red Bulls following the season, while Punyed and Walter Hines were both selected in the MLS Supplemental Draft.


St. John's finished 10-6-2 in 2010 and had four players earn All-BIG EAST honors, including first team selection Tadeu Terra. Second team NSCAA All-Region and third team All-BIG EAST selection Connor Lade led a defense that posted 10 shutouts, while goalkeeper Rafael Diaz earned both second team Soccer America All-Freshman honors and BIG EAST All-Rookie accolades.


St. John's won its conference-record eighth BIG EAST Tournament title in 2009 and reached the NCAA Tournament for the 17th time in program history. Five All-BIG EAST selections, including one first team honoree and four second team choices, helped lead the squad to a 9-3-9 record. In a 2-0 win against Georgetown on Sept. 18, the night St. John's unveiled new mascot Johnny Thunderbird, the attendance of 2,518 set a new Belson Stadium record.


The 2008 season featured the fourth College Cup appearance in program-history, a BIG EAST regular season title and a No. 4 ranking in the season's final NSCAA poll. Joel Gustafsson earned both All-America and All-Region honors, and was the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, while Nelson Becerra earned All-Region honors and was named the BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year. A total of six players earned All-BIG EAST honors to pace the squad to a 19-3-3 mark. Stalwart defense and stellar goalkeeping gave the team a school-record and nation-leading 16 shutouts. Capped by three home wins in the NCAA Tournament, the Red Storm finished the year with a 12-0-0 record at Belson Stadium. St. John's earned its trip to the College Cup with a 3-2 overtime win against then-No. 12 Indiana, a game in which the Red Storm erased a 2-0 deficit with less than ten minutes in regulation.


In its run to the 2006 BIG EAST Tournament title, the Red Storm established a new school-record with seven-straight shutouts and defeated then-No. 2 West Virginia, 1-0, with 4.4 seconds left in overtime to earn a 15th-consecutive bid to the NCAA Tournament.


The 2005 team reached the NCAA Round of 16 for the 10th-straight season and finished with an 11-6-5 record, including a 4-1-2 mark against ranked teams. The Red Storm led the league with five All-BIG EAST selections, including three first team choices and two second team honorees, and Jason Landers became St. John's first-ever BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year.


A trip to the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals capped a 2004 season in which the Red Storm finished 12-6-4.


The Red Storm made its third College Cup appearance in 2003 and finished with a 17-6-3 record. With wins over perennial national powers UC Santa Barbara, Creighton and Maryland, St. John's faced familiar foe Indiana again in the national championship. The Hoosiers scored twice in the first 20 minutes of the match and held on to win by a final score of 2-1.


The opening of Belson Stadium highlighted a 2002 season in which St. John's also reached No. 1 in the national rankings. St. John's played then-No. 1 Wake Forest to a 1-1 draw in front of a sellout crowd of 2,242 in the first game at Belson.


After the program's eighth and ninth-straight NCAA Tournament appearances in 1999 and 2000, the 2001 team won the BIG EAST Tournament championship and advanced to the College Cup. The Red Storm won six-consecutive postseason contests and defeated then-No. 1 Southern Methodist to advance to the national semifinals against Indiana. The Hoosiers prevailed, 2-1, in overtime to avenge a 1-0 season-opening win by St. John's.


The Red Storm set a BIG EAST Conference record in 1998 by winning the fifth tournament championship in program-history.


St. John's won a second-straight BIG EAST regular season title in 1997 as the team went 9-1-1 in league play and finished 18-4-2 overall. The Red Storm posted a school-record 15 shutouts and allowed just 13 goals in 24 games on its way to the second-highest win total in program-history.


The 1996 team set new single-season records for wins (22), goals (80), assists (88) and points (248) on its way to the first NCAA national championship in St. John's University history and a BIG EAST regular season title. St. John's handled Florida International, 4-1, in the championship game to cap a 22-2-2 season.


A stellar run of success immediately followed Masur's arrival in 1991, as the Red Storm won a then-program record 12 games in his first season. In 1992, St. John's won its first-ever BIG EAST Tournament championship and made its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Red Storm followed that up with BIG EAST Tournament titles in 1993, 1994 and 1995 as part of a run of four-straight tournament crowns.


Prior to his remarkable success at St. John's, Masur began his career as a head coach at Montclair State in 1987. As a rookie coach, Masur nearly doubled the team's win total from the season before, finishing with a 7-5-2 overall mark. Montclair State went 17-4-3 and won the ECAC New York-New Jersey Regional Championship in 1988 and followed that up with a 13-8-1 record, a New Jersey Athletic Conference championship and an NCAA Tournament berth in 1989. In his final season at Montclair State in 1990, Masur led the Redhawks to a 16-4-0 overall record and its second berth in the NCAA Tournament.


Masur began his coaching career at his alma mater, Rutgers University, in 1984. He was an assistant to his former coach Bob Reasso for two seasons before taking the job at Montclair State.


Following his graduation from Rutgers, Masur was drafted by the New York Cosmos and went on to play professionally with the Chicago Sting, Toledo Pride, New Jersey Eagles, Penn Jersey Spirit and New Jersey Imperials.


As a player at Rutgers, Masur was a two-time All-American and just the third soccer player in school history to be inducted into the Rutgers Olympic Sports Hall of Fame. The only Scarlet Knight player to be named an All-American in back-to-back seasons, Masur earned national distinction in 1983 and 1984, as well as all-region honors from 1982-84.


As part of a playing career at Columbia High School, Masur was a Parade All-American and earned New Jersey State Player of the Year accolades.


Masur, and his wife, Shannon, have three daughters, Samantha, Jessica and Sidney, and a son, Christopher David. They reside in Montclair, N.J.

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David Janezic

Janezic, who enters his seventh year on staff in 2023, brings more than 20 years of club, collegiate and professional experience, both as a player and a coach, to the Red Storm. He was promoted to the position of associate head coach prior to the start of the 2021 campaign.


Janezic guided a pair of All-BIG EAST Second Team selections in Antek Sienkiel and Brandon Knapp following the 2022 campaign. He also assisted in the development of Wesley Leggett, who signed his first professional contract with Loudoun United FC, USL affiliate of DC United, following the senior slate.


In his first season as associate head coach, Janezic helped the Red Storm finish third in the BIG EAST, turn in a record of 11-6-3 and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year Luka Gavran became the first Johnnie since 2008 to earn All-American honors from United Soccer Coaches and was one of three players, alongside Lucas Bartlett and Tani Oluwaseyi, to hear his name called in the MLS SuperDraft. Bartlett, who was taken sixth overall by FC Dallas, was the highest SuperDraft pick in St. John’s history. Bartlett, Gavran and Brandon Knapp were all recognized with spots on the All-BIG EAST First Team for their efforts.


In addition to those SuperDraft selections, Anthony Herbert also signed a deal to play with FC Haka in Finland’s top professional division.


Janezic, who has been recognized on multiple occasions as one of the top assistant coaches in the nation by the likes of TopDrawerSoccer and College Soccer News, helped the Red Storm reemerge as national contenders in 2019, as the Johnnies returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. St. John’s earned the No. 16 national seed and beat Syracuse at home to advance to the round of 16 for the 12th time in program history. The Red Storm, which matched the program’s highest win total since the College Cup campaign of 2008 with 14 wins, rose as high as No. 4 in the United Soccer Coaches poll and occupied the top spot in the RPI in late October.


Janezic was part of the 2019 BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year and saw two additional Johnnies earn major end-of-season recognition, as Oluwaseyi took home BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year honors and Jan Hoffelner claimed BIG EAST Co-Goalkeeper of the Year accolades. Four other Johnnies earned spots on All-BIG EAST teams, as Skage Simonsen and Brandon Duarte made the second team while Knapp and Einar Lye earned All-BIG EAST Third Team recognition. Oluwaseyi, Hoffelner, Duarte and Lye were also named to United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Region teams.


In January of 2020, Niko Petridis was selected in the fourth round of the MLS SuperDraft by the New York Red Bulls.


In 2018, Janezic’s highly rated recruiting class helped the Red Storm register its second consecutive appearance in the BIG EAST Men’s Soccer Championship, as the team’s 3-3-3 conference record proved good enough for sixth in the league. A pair of freshmen earned end-of-season recognition from the conference, as Simonsen became the first St. John’s player since 1996 to be named the league’s freshman of the year and Oluwaseyi earned a spot on the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team. In addition to his top rookie honor, Simonsen also became the first Red Storm player in program history to earn a spot on the All-BIG EAST Second Team or better as a freshman.


In his first season with the Johnnies, Janezic helped the Red Storm usher in success on the pitch that had not been achieved in nearly a half a decade. The Johnnies turned in an overall record of 9-7-3 and a 5-2-2 mark in BIG EAST play, the program’s best conference effort since 2009. Two Red Storm players earned major end-of-season awards, as Harry Cooksley garnered BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year honors while David Enstrom was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. Additionally, Jack Shearer earned unanimous selection to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team and the Johnnies secured their first berth in the BIG EAST semifinals since 2011.


Before coming to Queens, Janezic most recently served as an assistant coach at Fairleigh Dickinson. During his time at FDU, both of Janezic’s recruiting classes were recognized by Top Drawer Soccer as some of the best in the nation, as they included three 2017 CONCACAF U-17 and U-20 national team players. Janezic mentored two NEC All-Rookie Team performers and saw nine of his newcomers start throughout the 2016 season. He also worked with the goalkeepers and was involved with all facets of the program. In addition to its accolades on the field, the program also had success in the classroom, maintaining a team GPA of 3.0 or higher throughout his time in Teaneck.


Prior to his time at FDU, Janezic served as an assistant at NJIT, where he helped the Highlanders reach new heights. In addition to being ranked for seven-consecutive weeks in the NSCAA Southeast Regional poll, the Highlanders also sported the 2014 Sun Belt Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year and peaked at 105 in the RPI, the highest ranking in program history. Two of his recruits were also named to the Atlantic Sun All-Rookie Team following their transition to that conference. In conjunction with the team’s on-field success, the Highlanders also carried a team GPA of 3.3 during Janezic’s tenure in Newark.


Prior to NJIT, Janezic was the head coach at Brookdale Community College for the 2012 season, leading the Jersey Blues men’s soccer team to the National Junior College Athletic Assocation Division III National Tournament. Brookdale finished with an 18-4-1 record and claimed the NJCAA Region XIX and Garden State Athletic Conference Championships with a 10-1-1 record in both the conference and region. Janezic was named both the Region XIX and GSAC Coach of the Year, as his team finished the season ranked sixth in the final NJCAA poll and ninth in the NSCAA rankings. His team led the nation in goals against average and was recognized by the school’s board of trustees for discipline and Leadership.


At the same time, Janezic was also coaching the USSDA U-15/16 Academy and the NJSA 04-United States Development Academy, where he worked alongside former Houston Dynamo and United States U-20 National Team Head Coach Tab Ramos.


Janezic served as the Director of Coaching for the Hazlet Soccer Association from 2002 to 2009 before returning to collegiate coaching as an assistant at Caldwell College. His collegiate coaching career began in 1997 as an assistant at his alma mater, Monmouth, where he remained until 2001.


Janezic played from 1992-96 at Monmouth, were he excelled as the team’s captain and MVP. After graduation, he saw both indoor and outdoor professional action with the Philadelphia Kixx and the Central Jersey Riptide.


A Garden State native, Janezic played soccer starred for Raritan High School before moving on to West Long Branch.


Janezic and his wife Maryann, reside in Ocean, N.J., with daughter, Macy Quinn, and sons Landon Robert, Hudson Christopher and Grayson David.

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John Ciano

Ciano joined the Red Storm staff in May 2023, handle responsibilities with the team's goalkeepers and recruiting.


Prior to his arrival in Queens, Ciano spent one season with Stony Brook in 2022-23. He helped the program transition from the America East into the CAA Conference in his lone campaign, guiding two players to all-conference selections.


Before his tenure with the Seawolves, the Syosset, N.Y., native produced the highest winning percentage of any men’s soccer head coach at The College of Saint Rose. He is also the only coach in the program’s 42-year history to complete his tenure with a career winning record.


During the 2021 campaign, Ciano made history by matching the program's record for wins (10), earning the squad’s highest finish in the Northeast-10 Conference and hosting the team's first home playoff game. The former goalkeeper guided the Golden Knights to the NE10 Tournament semifinals that season, seeing his program listed in the regional rankings by the NCAA and United Soccer Coaches polls. After posting the highest RPI in team history, Saint Rose received votes in the United Soccer Coaches national poll for the first time in 42 years.


Over his six campaigns in Albany, Ciano coached 17 all-conference, four all-region and the league's 2019 Rookie of the Year. During that season, the Golden Knights earned their first-ever appearance in the conference final following the program’s first postseason victory.


Prior to his stint with Saint Rose, he spent five seasons as a Division I assistant at Siena (2013-16) and NJIT (2011-13). He helped the Saints reach the postseason on two of three occasions while aiding the Highlanders, he aided them to the second-best record in the school's Division I history.


Before joining NJIT, Ciano began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at the Division III level with Manhattanville College (2009-10), helping the team to consecutive double-digit win seasons and a 2009 regular season conference title.


Ciano has also been a Coaching Education Instructor with the U.S. Soccer Federation while serving in a variety of roles at the youth level and earning several coaching licenses and diplomas.


Known for his net protection, Ciano secured letters in four seasons as a starter at Central Connecticut State (2005) and Manhattan (2006-08), making starts in 45 of his 46 appearances between the two schools and earned a MAAC Defensive Player of the Week selection in his first season with the Jaspers. He also played semi-professionally with the Brooklyn Knights in the United Soccer League.

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