St. John's University Athletics
Red Storm Hosts Syracuse In Final Regular Season Match
10/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 21, 2011
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QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's women's soccer hosts Syracuse in the regular season final on Friday at 7 p.m. at Belson Stadium. The Red Storm is tied for No. 6 in the BIG EAST American Division with Providence with 12 points, a win over Syracuse would guarantee a BIG EAST Championship berth.
The Weekend's Quick Kicks
Friday's game is the 16th meeting between the two New York state rivals. The Orange hold a 8-5-2 all-time series record over the Red Storm, and have a one-game advantage over St. John's at Belson at 4-3-1.
Syracuse is No. 3 in the American Division with 18 points and a 6-4-0 record in the league. The Orange have a guaranteed spot in next weekend's conference championships.
St. John's (8-8-1, 4-6-0 BIG EAST) is looking to end the season on a high note and a chance to extend 2011 a couple more games. The Red Storm is 1-4 in its last five games, with its last win at Seton Hall on Oct. 2.
St. John's senior Jen Leaverton leads the Red Storm in scoring with 18 points on eight goals and two assists. Rookie Caitlyn McLaughlin has made an immediate impact on the Red Storm tallying the second-most points with eight. Classmate Chelsey Martino is second on the team in goals with three.
Fans can follow the game live on RedStormSports.com's StormTracker All-Access for a subscription of $79.95 a year and $9.95 per month. GameTracker Live Stats are also available free of charge. Friday's game will have play-by-play called by Tony Luftman with analysis by Red Storm alumna Nicole Canning.
Scouting The Orange
With a double-overtime victory over USF on Friday, Oct. 14, Syracuse secured the third seed in the American Division and a first round bye in the BIG EAST Championships which start next weekend. At 7-6-3 overall and a 6-4-0 conference record, the Orange are looking to rebound off its 4-0 loss to then-No. 7/13 Marquette on Sunday, Oct. 16.
The Orange is 3-2 in its past five games, with two wins coming down to double-overtime and its losses coming to ranked opponents in then-No. 22 West Virginia and then-No. 7 Marquette.
Junior Tina Romagnuola leads the Orange's offense with eight points on four goals. Sophomore defender Cecilia Borgstrom is second in scoring with seven points, on three goals and one assist.
In goal for Syracuse will be sophomore Brittany Anghel, who has played in all 16 games this season. Anghel has a 1.17 goals against average with 59 saves and a .747 save percentage.
The Orange have a 7-6-3 record, but opponents have outscored Syracuse 20-18 over 16 games. The Orange have outshot their opponents, 172-155.
Orange vs. Red Storm - The Series
Friday's meeting is the 16th meeting all-time between the two American Division teams and New York rivals. The series dates back to Sept. 27, 1996, with the Red Storm losing the first three meetings. St. John's got its first win over Syracuse on Oct. 7, 2001, at home. The Red Storm won 1-0. In recent meetings, St. John's is 3-1-1 over Syracuse.
The last time the Orange traveled to Belson Stadium, St. John's defeated Syracuse 2-0 on Sept. 18, 2009.
In the last meeting between the two squads in Syracuse, N.Y., the Orange defeated St. John's 1-0 on Sept. 17, 2010 in the 2010 BIG EAST opener. The Orange scored in the 17th minute.
Queens Of The Empire State
St. John's is undefeated against fellow New York teams at 3-0-1. The Red Storm defeated Albany, 2-0 (Sept. 2) and Columbia, 1-0 (Sept. 4) in the NYC Classic. St. John's also defeated Yale on Sept. 11, 2-1 in a come-from-behind thriller. The Red Storm played cross-borough rival Fordham in the 2011 Belson Stadium-opener to a double-overtime scoreless tie on Aug. 26.
All four games against New York teams have been at Belson Stadium.
Senior forward Jen Leaverton leads the offense against New York teams with six points, with two goals and two assists. Classmate Anna Torregianois second in points with four, after her game-winning penalty kick against Columbia, and two assists.
Women's Soccer Scores For A Cure
Last Sunday's game was St. John's featured Score For A Cure event. Since last April, the Red Storm has been raising funds for the local American Cancer Society and as of Oct. 4, St. John's has raised more than $5,000 for the American Cancer Society for breast cancer research.
St. John's seniors Megan Klement and Jen Leaverton spearheaded women's soccer's Score For A Cure campaign in the spring of 2011, kicking off the fundraising plan at St. John's annual Relay For Life.
All season long, the team has sold t-shirts, bracelets and shoelaces to Red Storm men's and women's soccer fans with all proceeds going to the local branch of the American Cancer Society. St. John's has also received donations from individuals and organizations for the women's soccer team's cause.
The campaign was started in memory of Leaverton's mother Joan, who lost her battle with breast cancer on March 12, 2011.
The Red Storm raised more than $950 over the weekend of Oct. 14-16, for the American Cancer Society, through donations, merchandise sales and a silent auction, putting the current total at $6,130.40
For more information on St. John's women's soccer's ongoing Score For A Cure campaign, please click here. For online donations, click here.
StormTracker - Last Time Out
St. John's went 0-2-0 last weekend against then-No. 7/13 Marquette and USF. St. John's lost 2-1 to the Golden Eagles and 3-2 to the Bulls. The three goals were scored by three different people, rookies Caitlyn McLaughlin and Chelsey Martino got the ball in the net, as well as senior Jen Leaverton. .
Stat Of The Weekend
18: Senior Jen Leaverton leads St. John's with a career-best 18 points on the season. Leaverton has scored eight goals during her senior campaign, surpassing her past three years' total. Her two assists are also a season career-best for the Mansfield, Mass., native.
BIG EAST Championship Shake Down
With a win against Syracuse, the Red Storm will secure a berth to the BIG EAST Championship. The Red Storm would be No. 5 in the BIG EAST American Division standings with 15 points. Current No. 4 Connecticut plays Providence at Providence at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22. The Huskies currently have 14 points heading into the weekend, while the Friars are tied with the Red Storm with 12 points.
