St. John's University Athletics
Women's Soccer Posts Five Victories During Spring Season
4/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
April 30, 2009
QUEENS, N.Y. - The St. John's women's soccer team had a successful spring 2009 campaign, posting five shutout victories, including a 4-0 win over Rutgers on April 25 to finish the season with a 5-2 record.
"I was happy with our performance during the spring season," coach Ian Stone said. "A lot of individual players made big improvements as the season went on, and the culmination of the season was an excellent victory against Rutgers. This was when everything we worked on clicked into play. It was satisfying from a coaching point of view. I give the girls a lot of credit because they had to work hard. We pushed them pretty hard over the spring, and the improvements that were made were pretty impressive."
The Red Storm featured a balanced attack and a strong defensive effort during the spring campaign, as STJ combined to score 17 goals while only conceding three. St. John's had nine different players score goals, as Jen Leaverton led the way with a team-high four goals while Kelly McConnell and Amanda Santos each chipped in three.
After setting the new program record with 10 shutouts in 2008, St. John's defensive unit continued its stellar efforts from a year ago by holding five opponents scoreless, including three straight to end the spring. 2009 All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention selection Kristin Russell played in net for six of the seven contests.
In two of its exempt dates, the Red Storm defeated the Japanese All-Stars, 8-0, on March 22, and recorded a 2-0 victory in its Alumnae Game held on April 18.
The Red Storm posted a 1-0 shutout win against Marist on March 29. Sarah McGrath slipped past defenders and fed the ball to Vaila Barsely, who timed her run perfectly to score the winner in the far post.
"Marist was one of those frustrating games where we pretty much dominated the game, but we weren't able to score," Stone said. "I thought we did a good job of changing formations and systems, and being patient eventually paid off."
At the West Chester (Pa.) Classic, St. John's came away with another 1-0 victory, as it defeated LaSalle on April 19. About 25 minutes into the game, McGrath got another assist when she passed the ball to Leaverton, who headed the ball into the back of the net for the winner.
"I was pleased with the LaSalle match because we possessed the ball well on a really tight field, which is something that we struggle with at times," Stone said. "When we play at Belson, it's easier for us since it is a wide open field rather than playing on a tighter field. We had to combine our possession with a little bit of physicality, and we handled ourselves well against a pretty good LaSalle team."
St. John's closed out the season with its biggest win, a 4-0 shutout victory over BIG EAST rival Rutgers on April 25. After STJ created some scoring chances but could not convert in the opening half, the Red Storm exploded in the second period to score four goals. Leaverton finished a through ball from McGrath for the first score, and Amanda Pasciolla assisted on a McConnell score for goal No. 2. Barsley and Santos combined for the assist when Kaitlin Haas fired the ball past the goalie for the third score. Santos scored the fourth and final goal with a header off a C.J. Ludemann free kick.
"The Rutgers game really showed our improved fitness in the spring, especially on a hot day like Saturday," Stone said. "But it also showed our depth in that we were able to rotate players in who made a big impact on the game. It was obviously very satisfying to win against a BIG EAST opponent by four goals, especially Rutgers since they advanced to the regional semifinals of the 2008 NCAA Tournament."
The Red Storm's only setbacks in the spring were closely contested battles with local rivals Fordham, 2-1, on March 27 and Hofstra, 1-0, on April 17.
With 14 seniors next season, the St. John's women's soccer team will have one of its most experienced squads taking the field. The team returns all of its starters from last year, including its top four goal scorers, its back line and starting goalie.
"We have some really good players coming back next season," Stone said. "We've worked hard to become consistent in practice and we made those practices sometimes tougher than game situations. It's a big year because we have so many seniors. I'm really happy with the way we left off in the spring and obviously it's down to the girls to make sure they maintain their fitness level over the summer. 2009 could be one of the biggest seasons for us, so it's exciting."
