QUEENS, N.Y. -- St. John's University defeated Marist College, 3-1, in the first round of the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship at Belson Stadium on Friday night.

After a scoreless first half, Billy Hole took a pass into space from Garry Lewis, and broke through the Marist box for a one-on-one opportunity with goalkeeper Daniel Owens. Hole touched once and finished with a low ball inside the near post for his second goal of the season.

Marist equalized just over five minutes later when Anthony Graci struck from 25 yards out. A collision at midfield left a loose ball, which Graci ran on to with numbers on the counter-attack. Graci found some space in the middle of the Red Storm zone and let loose with a perfectly placed shot inside the upper right corner.

The St. John's offense responded well after the equalizing goal and put instant pressure on the Red Fox backline. Lewis was again involved, as he got an advantage in the top of the Marist box and was taken down by defender Steve Fantuzzo. Fantuzzo was whistled for the foul, and a penalty kick was awarded to St. John's. Old converted with a shot that beat Owens to his left as St. John's went up by a 2-1 margin.

Matt Groenwald put the game out of reach in the 75th minute with his sixth goal of the season and 15th of his career. Sebastain Alvarado-Ralph built on a career-high assist total with his fifth of the season, as he found Groenwald with a pass to the edge of Marist's goal box. Groenwald got separation with a touch to his right and fired back across the grain to beat Owens with a low ball to the far post.

Groenwald, Andre Schmid and Hole led St. John's with four shots apiece, as the Red Storm put 11 of its season-high 26 shots on net. Owens turned away five shots for Marist, and Bobby Van Dyke and Tomislav Rogic each made defensive saves to prevent further damage.