SOUTH BEND, IND. -- When you play, perhaps, the nation’s toughest schedule, there is no chance to rest easy and know you have a win coming soon.

When you’re the St. John’s men’s soccer team – the No. 12 ranked team in the country by the National Soccer Coaches Association – and you’ve dropped your first two games to two of the best teams in the country, you know that you have to come right back. And you know you have to do it at Notre Dame, a team that is one of the best in the BIG EAST, and among the best nationally.

All of that said, the Red Storm knew they what they needed more than anything was a win. It didn’t matter how it came, they just needed a win. Which is why St. John’s 3-0 win over the fourth-ranked Fighting Irish tasted much sweeter.

The Red Storm, the preseason favorites in the BIG EAST, improve to 1-2 overall and 1-0 in the league, while Notre Dame falls to 1-1-1 and 0-1.

The game was billed as a match up of the top two teams in the league, but the Red Storm left the field as the much better team on this night.

St. John's broke into the scoring column 28:44 into the game when junior Matt Groenwald (Mt. Prospect, Ill.) put in a low shot in the right corner off assists from sophomore Sebastian Ralph (Gothenburg, Sweden) and senior Tim O'Neill (Philadelphia, Pa.).

Just under two minutes later, the Red Storm struck again when senior Simone Salinno (Lucera, Italy) sent a long pass down the sideline, corralled by Ralph. He sent a perfect cross into the box, which senior Angel Rodriguez (Toms River, N.J.) easily put away to give his team a 2-0 lead.

Salinno added the third goal 3:21 into the second half when the Irish misplayed a ball at the top of the box. Salinno stole the ball and beat Irish goalkeeper Chris Sawyer for his second goal of the season.

Although the Irish out shot the Red Storm 12-9 in the contest, Notre Dame did not have many legitimate scoring chances in the game. St. John’s goalkeeper Guy Hertz (Ramut-Hasharon, Israel), making his first start of the season, ended up with six saves.

Perhaps the most telling statistic of the game was corner kicks. St. John's managed to get four of the precious scoring chances, while the Irish would manage just one - and that opportunity came with just 16 minutes left in the game.

St. John’s returns for its home opener, on Wednesday, September 10 against Rutgers. Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m.