St. John's University Athletics
Red Storm Hosts LIU And Indiana This Weekend
9/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 10, 2009
QUEENS, N.Y. - The St. John's women's soccer team returns to Belson Stadium to open a three-game homestand when it welcomes LIU on Friday at 5 p.m. and No. 12/25 Indiana on Sunday at 1 p.m.
• The Red Storm-Blackbirds contest is the first game of a doubleheader with the STJ men's team, who face Stony Brook at 8 p.m.
• St. John's has opened the 2009 campaign with a 3-1 slate and is receiving votes (19) in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Top 25 Poll.
• RedStormSports.com will stream both contests through StormTracker All-Access. The contests will have a live video and audio broadcast. Fans can access the feature by going to RedStormSports.com, clicking on the All-Access button and signing up for the service. The All-Access subscription is $9.95 a month or $79.95 for the year. There will also be live stats available that can be accessed on RedStormSports.com.
A Look At The Competition
• The Blackbirds and the Red Storm meet for the fifth time in history. STJ has won every meeting, boasting a 4-0 record, including a 3-0 slate at home. The last time the teams met was on Sept. 10, 2004, with the Red Storm coming away with the 2-0 win at home. LIU is off to a solid start in 2009, posting a perfect 4-0 slate. All of the Blackbirds wins have been shutouts.
• The Hoosiers make their first-ever trip to Queens, N.Y., on Sunday. Indiana is undefeated through its first five games of the year, and has recorded three shutout wins and one overtime victory. IU will have a New York themed weekend, as its plays at Hofstra on Friday night.
Weekend Recap
• The Red Storm split matches this past weekend, winning its home opener against New Hampshire, 2-0, on Friday, then losing a close contest to Princeton, 2-1, on the road.
• On Sept. 4, STJ won its fourth-straight home opener with the victory over UNH. C.J. Ludemann was the Red Storm's offensive leader in the game, scoring a goal and tallying an assist. The goal was the first of the year for the senior, and the assist was her third this season. Freshman Runa Sif Stefansdottir scored her first-career goal in a Red Storm uniform, and Raelynne Lee recorded an assist in the game to continue her offensive streak. The Wildcats could not find an answer for the Red Storm offense or STJ's defensive presence in the contest, and were held to four total shots.
• On Sept. 6, the Red Storm came back to tie Princeton on a Courtney Curby goal in the 64th minute, but the Tigers scored late in the game for the 2-1 win. After the Tigers went up 1-0, STJ surged down the field to knot the score in the 64th minute. Lee took the St. John's corner kick and bent her shot to Curby, who knocked the ball off the crossbar and into the net for the equalizer. Princeton scored the eventual winner in the 79th minute. STJ tried to rally, but could not answer.
Curby Nets First Career Goal
• Curby netted her first-career goal on Sept. 6 against Princeton. The senior tied the game in the 64th minute when she found the back of the net off a corner kick.
Klement Gets First Career Start
• Megan Klement got her first-career start in the Red Storm's game with New Hampshire on Sept. 4 and made an immediate impact on defense. The sophomore played 72 minutes and helped shut down the Wildcats offense in the 2-0 shutout win for STJ. Her stellar defensive play also helped limit UNH to only four shots in the match.
Surging On Offense
• The Red Storm has gotten off to a strong start offensively this year, and is already on pace to surpass its numbers from a year ago. Through four games, STJ has tallied six goals and seven assists for 19 points. In all of 2008, the Red Storm posted 13 goals and 16 assists for 42 points in 19 games.
Lee Off To Strong Start
• After missing the 2008 campaign due to an injury, Lee has bounced back and has helped ignite the Red Storm offense. The junior has played and started in all four games, and has tallied one goal and two assists. Her one goal this season was the game winner in an upset victory over then-No. 12 USC on Aug. 30. Lee has a total of four points, which ties for the second-highest on the team.
Stefansdottir Making Immediate Impact
• Stefansdottir is making an impact in her rookie campaign with the Red Storm. She is the only freshman that has seen action in 2009, and leads the team with seven shots. Stefansdottir scored her first career goal on Sept. 4, an insurance goal in the Red Storm's 2-0 victory in its home opener. She worked her way into a starting role, getting the nod in the team's game at Princeton on Sept. 6.
Spreading The Wealth
• Three different players have scored game-winning goals for the Red Storm this season. Vaila Barsley scored the golden goal for STJ in a 1-0 victory over Cal State Fullerton. Lee scored the winner to lead the Red Storm to the upset victory over then-No. 12 USC, 2-1. C.J. Ludemann scored on a penalty kick for the clincher in a 2-0 victory over UNH.
Ludemann Ignites Offense
• Ludemann continued her offensive hot streak from last season into the first three contests of the 2009 campaign, leading the team to three wins. The senior assisted on the game-winning goal in a 1-0 overtime win over Cal State Fullerton on Aug. 28 and in a 2-1 upset win over then-No. 12 USC on Aug. 30. She scored her first goal of the year - the winner - on a penalty kick in a 2-0 victory over New Hampshire on Sept. 4.
Did You Know...
• Coach Ian Stone is only one win away from his 140th career victory.
