St. John’s men’s soccer goaltender Bill Gaudette counted the goals he’s allowed this season on one hand.

‘Five,’ Gaudette boasted after allowing a goal to Syracuse’s Jarett Park in a 1-1 tie on Saturday.

Park’s goal, scored off a scramble in front, barely dented Gaudette’s microscopic goals-against average. The game nudged his numbers from .31 goals a game to .36. But it could have been much worse.

“This game, unlike most, we got outshot,’ Gaudette said. ‘They had three guys up front (Park, Kirk Johnson and Guido Cristofori) who could run and play and gave us trouble all day long. I had to rely on my reflexes.’

The Orangemen fired more shots in one game, 20, than Gaudette’s seen in any back-to-back games this year. Gaudette finished with six saves, most of the spectacular variety.

Four of those came on diving attempts, including one which prompted Gaudette to bounce to his feet and warn SU’s forwards away with a wave of his finger.

‘I just wanted them to know I was here to stay,’ Gaudette said. ‘I was going to be there all night, and nothing was going to come easy.’

Gaudette’s reflexes first came in handy at the 34:07 mark, when he punched away an attempt from close range. Twenty minutes later, Ilias Calaitzidis forced a diving save with a 28-yard blast.

Gaudette made two more in overtime.

‘He had a couple of big saves,’ Park said. ‘He was probably their one savior.’

‘Him and the post,’ Cristofori corrected.

Both Park and freshman Jorge Rodriguez squarely struck the framework on powerful shots.

With his mid-air heroics, it’s hard to imagine that Gaudette was grounded with an ankle injury last season.

Gaudette said he could not comment on the extent of the injury, but that he was forced to redshirt two days before last season began and watched the Red Storm’s march to the Final Four from the sideline.

After earning a starting spot as a sophomore, Gaudette was replaced last year by current senior Guy Hertz.

In 2001, Hertz finished with a .59 GAA, but even that couldn’t keep the talented Gaudette from reclaiming his position.

The only person who appeared unimpressed with Gaudette’s play was his coach, who stormed up and down the sidelines while watching SU dominate for most of the game.

‘I have no comment on that,’ Red Storm coach Dave Masur said when asked about his goalie’s play.

While his coach may have left sullen, Gaudette’s performance continued to showcase Syracuse’s inability to finish. Though the Orangemen ranked third in the Big East in shots, they sat ninth in goals per game entering the match.

Syracuse has controlled the tempo in each of its past three contests, but the offense has accounted for only three goals in that span.

‘It’s a repetitive thing,’ Park said. ‘Some games we’re taking bad shots and knocking them over the goal or making bad choices. We’re disappointed with the result, but tonight, we made the right choices.’

The SU forwards insist they did nothing differently in an effort to solve Gaudette’s riddle and enhance their offensive output, but senior Chris Aloisi said it’s nearly impossible not to press when a goaltender continues to make spectacular saves.

‘It’s frustrating,” Aloisi said. ‘He’s one of the best in the country, and he proved it tonight. We always aim for the corners, but you do it a little more against a team like this. We’re not satisfied, but we’ve got to remember, this was the (No. 3) team in the country.’

Published on October 20, 2002 at 12:00 pm