St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Welcomes Seton Hall on Saturday Night
10/13/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Game Notes | Watch Live on BEDN |
QUEENS, N.Y. - Looking to rebound after a tough 1-0 loss at Butler in its last outing, the St. John's women's soccer team hosts local rival Seton Hall on Saturday under the lights of Belson Stadium. The Red Storm and Pirates are scheduled for an 8 p.m. first kick that will immediately follow the St. John's men's soccer match with Marquette. Ralph Bednarczyk will provide the play-by-play on the BIG EAST Digital Network.
Saturday's match with the Pirates will serve as the Red Storm's second-to-last home game of the 2017 regular season. The Johnnies have split each of their first six games at Belson Stadium this year, highlighted by a dramatic 1-0, double overtime victory over Creighton on Sept. 28.
Junior Christina Bellero continues to lead the St. John's offense and has remained among the BIG EAST's top 10 offensive performers this season. The Melville native's five goals rank fifth in the league, while her 13 points rank sixth. Defensively, redshirt freshman Jordan Kamp continues to be a solid contributor between the pipes. Kamp's 1.15 goals against average and .760 save percentage in 10 games this season ranks seventh in the conference.
Saturday will also be alumni day for the St. John's soccer programs. At halftime of the women's game against Seton Hall, Head Coach Ian Stone and the St. John's athletic department will honor the 2013 women's soccer team that earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history and picked up the school's first win in the tournament, along with 2017 graduate Diana Poulin, who finished her career as the program's all-time winningest goalkeeper. The three-time BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year and two-time NSCAA Scholar All-American will be at Belson Stadium for the first time since she helped St. John's defeat Providence in the first round of last season's BIG EAST Women's Soccer Championship where she set the program's single-season record with her 12th shutout of the season.
Seton Hall enters play on Saturday with an overall record of 0-8-5 and a 0-2-3 ledger in BIG EAST matchups. The Pirates are coming off a dramatic 1-1 draw with Creighton in their last outing after junior Julia Stirpe converted a penalty kick in the 87th minute to force overtime.
Stirpe is Seton Hall's leading scorer with two goals and an assist for five total points. Cassy Harrigan has also found the back of the net twice, while Lauren Hall, Siobhan McGovern and Atley Fortney have each scored a goal. The Pirates have struggled defensively, allowing 23 goals on the year, which are the second-most in the conference.
Saturday's contest between St. John's and Seton Hall will be the 22nd all-time meeting between the two schools. The Red Storm owns a commanding 16-5-1 record in the all-time series history. After going 1-4-1 in the first six meetings, St. John's has claimed victory in 15 of the last 16 meetings. Additionally, St. John's has outscored Seton Hall, 10-0, over the previous five contests. Last season, Anna Maria Baldursdottir converted a penalty kick in the 69th minute to give the Johnnies a 1-0 victory on the road in their BIG EAST opener.
Following Saturday's match with Seton Hall, the Johnnies are back in action on Thursday, Oct. 19 when they travel to Villanova, Pa., to take on the Wildcats. The two teams are scheduled for a 4 p.m. opening kick on the BIG EAST Digital Network.
