Providence Holds off St. John’s, 1-0

Sunday, October 28

Queens, N.Y. (Belson Stadium)

1 p.m.

St. John's University

(9-9-1, 5-3-1BE)

Providence College

(11-5-3, 4-3-2BE)

Providence

St.John's

10/28/2018 4:43:00 PM | Women's Soccer

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Johnnies fall to Friars in BIG EAST quarterfinals

By: Victoria Lanza

A goal in the 31st minute from Amber Birchwell proved to be the difference maker at Belson Stadium on Sunday afternoon, as Providence withstood numerous late chances by St. John's to hold off the Red Storm, 1-0, in the opening round of the BIG EAST Tournament.

Providence's goalkeeper Shelby Hogan made three of her four saves in the second half, holding off a St. John's offense that appeared to be on the verge of breaking through in the second stanza. The Red Storm saw its best chance of the game in the 65th minute, off a back pass to Hogan which resulted in an indirect kick for St. John's. Off the call, the sequence began with a shot from sophomore Maia Cabrera, her attempt was blocked before Zsani Kajan powered a strike off the crossbar which ricocheted to Claudia Cagnina. The All-BIG EAST Second Team honoree registered the third attempt for the Red Storm in under a minute, but it was denied by Hogan.

Despite the loss, St. John's outshot Providence, 17-16, on the game, and had a 10-7 advantage on corner kicks.

Kajan, Cabrera and Christina Bellero each registered a team-high three shots for the Red Storm. Kajan and Bellero entered Sunday's match after earning regular season conference honors on Saturday afternoon, as Kajan earned a spot on the All-BIG EAST First Team and Bellero was named to All-BIG EAST Second Team.

Following a back-and-forth start, Providence finally snapped the scoreless tie in the 31st minute. The sequence began when Birchwell sent a header out to Hannah McNulty who returned the favor to Birchwell. The sophomore then used her head to send a shot to the left corner of the cage, giving the Friars a one-goal advantage entering the intermission.

Despite not finding the back of the net in the opening 45 minutes of play, the Johnnies controlled the offensive possession in the early going of the game. The Red Storm outshot the Friars, 8-5, with a 5-2 advantage on corner kicks at the half.

After recording three-straight shot attempts in the 63rd minute, the Johnnies had a second breakthrough come less than 10 minutes later. Bellero saw an open opportunity as the senior registered back-to-back shots, but was unable net the equalizer. Providence escaped Queens with a 1-0 victory to advance to the semifinal round of the BIG EAST Tournament.