St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
Xavier
St. John's Downs Xavier, 3-1
10/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
CINCINNATI - After snapping DePaul's seven-game winning streak on Saturday at Belson Stadium, the St. John's women's soccer team kept its momentum going with a convincing 3-1 win over Xavier on Thursday in Cincinnati.
Junior Shea Connors found the back of the net in the 55th minute before sophomore Samie Scaffidi scored less than three minutes later, giving the Red Storm a 2-0 advantage early in the second half. Then, in the 66th minute, sophomore Lucy Whipp scored to put the match out of reach for the Musketeers.
"I am really happy for our attacking players. They have persevered diligently all season," Head Coach Ian Stone said. "Our whole team listened very well to a couple tactical adjustments at halftime and came out on fire in the start of the second half."
The Red Storm (8-3-5, 3-2-2 BIG EAST) controlled the pace throughout most of the contest, outshooting the Musketeers (7-9-1, 1-6-0 BIG EAST) by a 20-9 margin and earning four corners to Xavier's one. Senior Diana Poulin made three saves to pick up her eighth win of the season.
Less than 10 minutes into the second half, the Red Storm were determined to get on the board. After Madeline McCracken sent a pass to Connors, the junior found the back of the net for her third goal of the season. Connors tucked the shot just under the bar for the tally.
Then, with the Musketeers attempting to regroup after the goal, Connors found Scaffidi who chipped in her team-leading fourth goal of the season in the 58th minute, giving the Red Storm a 2-0 advantage.
Connors, who tied Scaffidi with a team-best 10 points, recorded her second three-point match of the season. She also registered three points against Fairfield earlier this season.
From there, the Johnnies continued to apply the pressure. In the 66th minute, Alexa Dolgos sent a ball into the box that was mishandled by Toni Bizzarro. Whipp was there to clean it up and extend the Red Storm lead to 3-0.
The Musketeers got on the board with less than a minute left, but the comeback attempt fell short as the Red Storm came away with its second-straight BIG EAST win.
The Johnnies will next be in action on Sunday when they host Villanova in a BIG EAST clash at Belson Stadium. The match is scheduled for a 1 p.m. first kick on the BIG EAST Digital Network.
