With the chance of a home playoff match on the line, the men’s soccer team will host St. Johns on Saturday night in its season finale.

A Top-2 spot is out of the Bulls’ reach, but with a win and a DePaul loss or tie at Syracuse on Saturday, the Bulls will at the very least host a first-round Big East championship match at USF.

“I don’t think that there is anybody on this team that doesn’t know how important this game is,” team captain Yohance Marshall said. “I think everyone knows the situation and is ready to play a good game.”

The all-time series between USF and the Red Storm is knotted at 2-2, with the Bulls winning the only match played at the USF soccer stadium. Last season, St. John’s won at its home field in Queens, N.Y., 1-0.

The Bulls have played their best soccer of the year on their home pitch. This season, the Bulls are 6-1 at USF soccer stadium and have scored 23 of their 31 goals there.

Preseason Big East polls had St. John’s winning the Red Division. If they can take so much as a point from Saturday’s match, the Bulls will have a good chance of fulfilling those predictions.

For the Bulls, a win could prove the preseason polls right again with them finishing the regular season in third place. That’s one spot better than last year, when USF finished fourth in the division standings.

The Red Storm are coming off a 3-1 win at Syracuse on Wednesday and are entering a time of year that historically has brought a multitude of successes for the school and coach, Dr. Dave Masur.

In his 15 previous seasons, Masur has led St. John’s to unprecedented success, winning one national title and making two appearances in the final match. The Red Storm have yet to miss the NCAA tournament since Masur took the reins in 1991, and have won seven Big East titles along the way.

St. John’s started this season more slowly than expected, but in its last nine games has lost only once.