St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
Villanova
Red Storm Downs Villanova, Advances to BIG EAST Semis
11/4/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
QUEENS, N.Y. - This afternoon, a number of St. John's players were recognized by the league for their defensive prowess with major end-of-season awards. This evening, they proved exactly why. BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year Diana Poulin registered her ninth clean sheet of the year and BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Georgia Kearney-Perry tallied the first goal of her St. John's career, as the Red Storm advanced to the BIG EAST Semifinals with a 2-0 win over Villanova.
In addition to Kearney-Perry, Shelby Halász added her second goal of the year in the win.
With the victory, the Red Storm (11-7-1, 6-2-1) earns the opportunity to face off against the second-seeded Georgetown Hoyas on Friday night. First kick is slated for 7:30 p.m.
"First of all, we're going to enjoy this one a little bit," said head coach Ian Stone. "All the way through this season we we're trying to get back here for the semifinals. We've achieved that goal, but obviously in the BIG EAST at this point, they're all great teams and so as a result today was tough battle, but Friday's going to be tough as well so we have to prepare properly for that."
Kearney-Perry started off the scoring in the 11th minute after Caitlyn McLaughlin played a corner kick to the near pipe. A streaking Kearney-Perry touched it with the side of her right foot, placing it just beyond the Villanova goalkeeper and giving the Red Storm a 1-0 lead.
The Red Storm continued to hold the Wildcats off the board and added an insurance tally in the 61st minute. Once again, the play started with McLaughlin, who found Halász just outside the 18. The junior from Milford, Conn., then struck the ball with a strong right foot, sending it to the back of the cage with authority and giving her team the 2-0 advantage.
Tonight marked the second time of her career that McLaughlin has registered a pair of assists in a single contest, as she accomplished the feat as a sophomore against Seton Hall.
Poulin registered one save in the victory, leading a Red Storm defensive effort that rarely allowed the Wildcats to get any quality chances. In addition to Poulin and Kearney-Perry, Mikhaila Martinov, Jesse Schaefer and Diamond Thomas were also instrumental in this effort.
Poulin's nine shutouts are just one off the St. John's record of 10, accomplished twice by Kristin Russell.
For the match, the Red Storm outshot Villanova 18-9, including an 8-2 margin in shots on target.
Tickets to Friday's semifinals are available through the St. John's ticket office or by visiting www.RedStormTix.com.
