St. John's University Athletics
Tara Mendoza Leads Fury To WPSL Championship
8/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Aug. 3, 2009
QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's women's soccer player Tara Mendoza helped the Long Island Fury capture the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) National Championship with a 1-0 victory over California's Ajax America at Adelphi University's Competition Field on Sunday.
Mendoza anchored a stingy defensive unit that shut out all five of its opponents in playoff contests and did not allow a goal in the last 514 minutes of play. With her strong defensive efforts, including seven blocked shots, Mendoza was named the Final Four Most Valuable Player.
A native of Valley Stream, N.Y., Mendoza helped the Fury finish the season with an unbeaten record of 14-0-1, including the win in the title game over the defending national champions.
Entering her senior campaign, Mendoza has been a three-year starter for the Red Storm. Last season, she played in all 19 games and was a key contributor in the backfield that set the new program record with 10 shutouts and a 0.593 goals against average. She tallied one goal on the season, which was game winner in a 2-1 victory over Providence on Oct. 24.
For her efforts in 2008, Mendoza garnered the All-BIG EAST honorable mention distinction and was named to the Soccer Buzz All-Northeast second team.
