St. John's University Athletics
Cameres Goal Lifts St. Johns Past Notre Dame, 1-0
9/26/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Freshman Jean Camere (Miami, Fla.) scored what proved to be the game-winner with 1:48 remaining in the game, lifting the second-ranked Red Storm to a 1-0 win over the 10th-ranked Irish in front of 1,050 fans who braved the driving rain and cold.
St. Johns junior Simone Salinno (Lucera, Italy) sent his corner kick at 1:53 into the box, where it deflected out off of an Irish defender toward the middle of the box, where Camere ran onto it, sending a low, but accurate shot through a crowd of defenders, beating Notre Dame goalkeeper Chris Sawyer, and giving the Red Storm a 1-0 lead.
It was the last play and I knew the clock was going down, and that I had to do something, Camere said of his first collegiate goal. I just tired to anticipate a rebound and get around their defender. I saw it come up and I just tried to send it down on the floor.
The Red Storm and Irish battled back and forth throughout the out the game. Both teams, however, had to deal with the weather. The game started around 7:30 p.m. with a hard rain, and ended nearly two hours later in a driving storm with the temperature in the low 50s. Despite the driving rain throughout the match, the field-turf surface at Belson Stadium played well in a hard-fought m1atch.
St. Johns had several chances in the first half, the best coming when Salinno dished a ball off to sophomore Andre Schmid (Sacramento, Calif.). Schmids point-blank shot from about 10 yards out was saved by Sawyer with 2:36 remaining in the half. With 14:41 remaining in the half, Notre Dames Erich Braun found space and took a shot from 25 yards out that that bounced off junior goalkeeper Bill Gaudette (Hummelstown, Pa.) and was cleared by senior Alberto Duenas (Junipero, Calif.).
In the second half, the Red Storm continued to press, when junior Timothy ONeill (Philadelphia, Pa.) sent a shot from 15 yards out high over Sawyer. With 25 minutes remaining in the game, Schmid took a shot from the top of the box that hit the post and narrowly missed giving St. Johns a lead.
Later in the half, Notre Dame (4-2-2, 3-1 BIG EAST) bounced back with a pair of shots. Luke Boughen took a low shot from the top of the box that went just wide with 8:45 remaining and Erich Braun followed with a shot from 12 yards out with 7:49 remaining that went wide as well.
St. Johns outshot Notre Dame, 11-8, and had four corner kicks, while ND attempted two. Gaudette finished with three saves for the Red Storm, while Sawyer had two for the Irish.
St. Johns improves to 6-1-1 overall (3-1 BIG EAST) and continues its homestand on Saturday, hosting BIG EAST rival Pittsburgh at 7:30 p.m.
