St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
Fairfield
St. John's Blanks Fairfield, 2-0
8/27/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
FAIRFIELD, Conn. - Behind goals from Shea Connors and Christina Bellero and a solid night between the pipes by Antonia Tammaro, the St. John's women's soccer team picked up its second consecutive win Sunday night, beating Fairfield, 2-0, on Lessing Field.
"This was a very solid performance on the road," Head Coach Ian Stone said following the win. "It was particularly satisfying to get a shutout as we have been working hard on our whole team's defensive game."
With her goal in the 64th minute, Bellero became the first St. John's player to score a goal in each of the first three games of the season since at least 2008, the first year for which game-by-game records are readily available.
Earning her first collegiate start, Tammaro made four saves to pick up the clean sheet.
The Stags (1-2-0) came out looking to pressure Tammaro, earning a corner kick in the first minute. In the second minute, Tammaro turned aside a Sara Plowman shot for her first career save. Fairfield would wind up with three corners and two shots in the games first four minutes.
After the two sides traded shots midway through the opening half, Tammaro made a stop in the 41st minute that started a counter attack. Connors, a Preseason All-BIG EAST selection, got behind the defense and sent a shot off the keeper. The senior, playing in her home state of Connecticut, stayed with the play, sending in the rebound for her first goal of the season. That would be all the scoring in the first half as the Johnnies took a 1-0 advantage into the locker room.
Fairfield managed to outshoot St. John's (2-0-1), 7-5, over the first 45 minutes of play. Tammaro made three saves in the opening half. The Stags also held a 5-0 advantage in corner kicks at the break.
In the second half, St. John's looked to go up by a pair of goals after back-to-back corner kicks in the 59th minute. The second corner, taken by Allie Moar, found the head of a breaking Maia Cabrera, who sent the header just high.
In the 64th minute, Bellero used her speed and skill to create space for the goal. The junior received a pass from the midfield on the left side, beat her defender and ripped a low shot that found the back of the net, giving the Red Storm a 2-0 lead.
Throughout the remainder of the match, the Johnnies remained on the offensive while holding off a late Fairfield attack. The Stags sent shots wide in the 77th, 78th and 79th minutes before the Red Storm countered in the 86th minute. Bellero sent another shot on target that was saved, her third shot on goal of the match.
With time winding down, Tammaro made one of her best saves of the night, punching a shot off the cross bar in the 86th minute to secure her first career win and shutout.
The Red Storm returns to the pitch on Friday, Sept. 1 when it begins play in the CCSU Tournament in New Britain. The Johnnies will take on UConn at 4:30 p.m. before squaring off with Harvard on Sunday, Sept. 3 at 3:30 p.m.
