St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Hosts Villanova on Sunday
10/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 21, 2016
Watch Live | | Game Notes (PDF)
QUEENS, N.Y. - Coming off two-straight victories, the St. John's women's soccer team will play host to Villanova at Belson Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The first kick is scheduled for 1 p.m. The contest will be one of two remaining matches for the Red Storm, both of which will be played at home where the Johnnies are 5-0-2 this season.
Sunday's match will be streamed live on the BIG EAST Digital Network. Robert Lee will have the call with John Fanta on the sideline.
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In its last outing, the Red Storm defeated Xavier, 3-1, for its second-straight BIG EAST win. Shea Connors, Samie Scaffidi and Lucy Whipp scored for St. John's in the team's best offensive output since its 5-1 win over Fairfield on Sept. 4. Connors also added an assist on Scaffidi's goal, giving the junior her second three-point match of the season. She also tallied three points against the Stags. Scaffidi and Connors rank first on the team with 10 points, while Scaffidi leads the Red Storm with four goals, three of which have been game winners. Scaffidi's two game-winning goals in conference play rank second on the BIG EAST leader board.
The Red Storm's defense has carried the team throughout the season. In front of the two-time defending BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year Diana Poulin the backline of Anna Maria Baldursdottir, Alexis Urbanski, Mikhaila Martinov and Jesse Schaefer has started every game for the Johnnies in 2016, holding opponents to just nine goals in 16 games, good enough for a BIG EAST leading GAA of 0.52. Sporting the nation's 12th-best team GAA, the Red Storm has shut out 63 percent of its opponents, which ranks ninth in Division I. Individually, Poulin ranks in the top 15 nationally in many major statistical categories, while also leading the conference in those areas. Poulin is fourth in shutouts (10), 13th in GAA (0.47) and 15th in save percentage (.873). All of those numbers are tops in the BIG EAST.
SCOUTING VILLANOVA
St. John's and Villanova have met 23 times in the history of the two programs. The Wildcats hold a 13-7-3 advantage all-time against the Red Storm.
The Wildcats are led by Kristin Barbour and Ida Diclemente. Barbour leads the team with six goals and two assists for 14 points, while Diclemente has tallied four goals and three helpers for 11 points
ST. JOHN'S VS. VILLANOVA - THE SERIES
St. John's and Villanova have met 23 times in the history of the two programs. The Wildcats hold a 13-7-3 advantage all-time against the Red Storm.
Despite the deficit in the all-time record, St. John's has been unbeaten in its last five matches (4-0-1) against Villanova dating back to 2011. The most notable meeting came when the two teams squared off in the quarterfinals of the 2014 BIG EAST Tournament. St. John's came away with the 2-1 victory to advance to the semifinals before falling in penalty kicks to Georgetown.
During the five-game unbeaten streak, the Red Storm has outscored Villanova, 8-2, and has kept the Wildcats off the board in three of the five contests.
