An upset loss to Molloy University on Sunday night concluded the season for the Queen’s College (New York) men’s football team and finished off the excellent collegiate career of Saint Lucian central defender Joaquim Johnson.
The Knights, defending champions and top seed, were beaten 3-1 in the semifinal of the East Coast Conference (ECC) Tournament. They played on their home turf, at Knights Field in Flushing, New York, but were down 2-0 after 49 minutes to the #5 seed.
Notwithstanding the earlier-than-expected finish, it’s been a historic season for Johnson and the Knights. Queen’s had an overall record of 11-4-2 and an undefeated mark of 7-0-1 in ECC play, winning their first-ever ECC Regular Season Championship.
On a personal note, Johnson was named First Team All-Conference, the third straight year Queens has placed one defender on the First Team. Appearing in 17 games (12 starts), the Saint Lucia native notched five points with two goals and an assist, and helped Queen’s record nine shutouts, including four in conference play.
It was the second straight season in which the Marchand lad recorded over 1000 minutes, tallying 1161 this year after 1200 in 2023. He also scored three goals last year. In 2022, he was part of the first Knights squad to make the NCAA Tournament in programme history.
The 6-4 198-lb centre-back went to Queen’s right out of St Mary’s College. He was a constant on the Saint Lucia Under-15 and Under-19 teams, most memorably playing every minute as the Young Piton Boyz won the Concacaf U15 Tier 2 title in 2019.
The son of Bernadette Johnson and Henry Lord, Johnson will graduate from Queen’s with a first degree in Economics.
Photo Credit: Queen’s College
