Kajan’s Hat Trick Lifts St. John’s Past Villanova, 4-3

Thursday, October 24

Villanova, PA (Higgins Soccer Complex)

3:00 P.M.

St. John's University

5-11,2-5BIG EAST

Villanova

7-7-2,3-3-1BIG EAST

St. John's

Villanova

Kajan’s Hat Trick Lifts St. John’s Past Villanova, 4-3

10/24/2019 8:15:00 PM | Women's Soccer

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Kajan records game-winning goal less than 30 seconds into overtime

By: Victoria Lanza

Redshirt junior Zsani Kajan recorded a hat trick on Thursday afternoon to power St. John's to a 4-3 overtime victory at Villanova.

Kajan, who tallied the second hat trick of her career, becomes only the second player in program history to record multiple three-goal outings during her career. The Budapest, Hungary, native joins former St. John's standout Rachel Daly who registered three over her Red Storm tenure.

With just under 30 minutes to play in regulation, and the Johnnies trailing, 3-1, Kajan and Samantha Masur both registered goals for the Red Storm to force an overtime period. St. John's needed just one shot in extra time to seal the victory, as Kajan buried it home for the 4-3 win.

With three tallies on the afternoon, Kajan recorded her third multi-goal performance of the season and the sixth of her Red Storm career. The Budapest, Hungary, native has now found the back of the net a combined 22 times over her time with St. John's, moving into a tie for sixth place on the all-time scoring list.

Masur's goal marked the second of her Red Storm career, after the redshirt senior scored a game-winner earlier this season against Syracuse.

Kayla Mesaros picked up her first point of the season, assisting on Kajan's second tally of the match.

The Red Storm's four goals on the afternoon marked the team's highest single-game output of the season.

Naya Lipkens earned the win for the Red Storm, her first of conference play. The goalkeeper duo of Lipkens and Meredith Reinhardt turned aside a combined five shots on the afternoon.

Villanova (7-6-3, 3-3-1 BIG EAST) got the scoring started early, as the Wildcats' Brice McInroy powered a cross to the opposite side of the cage in the ninth minute to take a 1-0 lead.

The Red Storm (5-11, 2-5 BIG EAST) broke through just five minutes later on a penalty kick by Kajan. The Johnnies' forward confidently stepped up to the spot, blasting a left-footed shot past Villanova's keeper to the corner of the cage, knotting the match at one.

Coming out of the break, Villanova scored back-to-back goals over a 10 minute span, as Chloe O'Neill and McInroy both punched one in to give the Wildcats a 3-1 edge.

With just under 30 minutes to play in regulation, St. John's trailed Villanova by a pair of goals. In need of a heroic effort to erase the deficit, Kajan struck again for her second goal of the match. The St. John's forward corralled a pass from Mesaros near the top of the 18-yard box before firing a shot to upper left corner of the cage to pull the Johnnies within one, 3-2.

St. John's recorded the equalizer in the 73rd minute off a goal from Masur. The sequence began off a corner kick, as Alex Madden sent a right-footed ball to the far post. Michelle Money got a look on goal that was deflected by Villanova's keeper and sent back to Masur. The redshirt senior then drilled one home to knot the game at three, sending the match into overtime.

Just 25 seconds into the extra period, Kajan picked off a pass from a Villanova defender, sending in a shot from 18 yards out. This marked the third game-winning goal of the year for the redshirt junior and the eighth of her St. John's career.

The Red Storm has just two regular season games remaining in 2019, as the squad welcomes Creighton for a Sunday matinee before closing out the campaign with a contest at No. 14 Georgetown on Oct. 31 at 2 p.m.