St. John's University Athletics
Women's Soccer Wraps up Spring Season
4/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
QUEENS, N.Y. - Following a fall campaign that saw the Red Storm register its best-ever BIG EAST mark, the St. John's women's soccer team continued to make progress in the offseason, completing a successful spring slate this past weekend.
"We enjoyed a very productive spring season," said Head Coach Ian Stone. "The attitude of the team was fantastic and as a result we made tremendous strides in terms of both individual and team development."
The Red Storm kicked off the spring with a valiant effort against Sky Blue FC of the National Women's Soccer League on March 14, falling 3-0 to the professional team comprised of both domestic and international standouts. The Red Storm held Sky Blue scoreless for the entire first half before the pros added a trio of tallies in the second stanza. Coach Stone gave particular praise after the game to Katie DeVault and Alexis Urbanski, both of whom made their Red Storm debut in the game.
Two weeks later, the Red Storm returned to action, hosting local foe Fordham on Belson Stadium. Despite a driving snow for the entirety of the contest, St. John's dominated the action, blanking the Rams by a score of 4-0. Rachel Daly registered a hat trick in the contest, while Emily Cubbage added the other goal. Despite the unfavorable conditions, this match contained the unrivaled highlight of the spring season. After a cross into the box took a few awkward bounces on the wet turf, Daly found herself near the ball with her back to the goal. While a lesser player may have tried to dribble out and get a better angle, this would not be necessary for Daly. Instead, she hit the deck, delivering a textbook bicycle kick from 12 yards out and burying it in the upper-left hand corner of the cage.
Following a weekend off, the Red Storm took part in a pair of games on the weekend of April 11, playing host to a group of alumnae on Saturday before traveling to face off against New York Athletic Club on Sunday. The current team downed the squad of Red Storm past by a margin of 3-0, as Daly scored a pair and Maria Gonzalez Bullon added another. The following day, the Red Storm played to a scoreless draw with NYAC, a club that won the USASA National Championship in 2014. The tie with NYAC marked the Red Storm's third-straight contest without conceding a goal.
At this point, the Red Storm was originally scheduled for two more games with Army and Manhattan, but both contests ended up being canceled. Instead, the Red Storm concluded the spring season on Friday, April 24, against Fairleigh Dickinson in Teaneck, N.J., playing to a 2-2 draw with the Knights. Gonzalez Bullon put in another fantastic effort for the Red Storm against FDU, tallying both goals on left-footed strikes, one of which came on a direct free kick from 30 yards out.
St. John's will return to action in August, welcoming back every one of its All-conference honorees from a season ago and setting its sights on a BIG EAST title.
