St. John's University Athletics

St. John’s to Open Season at JMU Invitational
8/21/2019 4:34:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Preseason Video Live Stats (Thursday)Live Stats (Sunday)Watch Sunday’s Match via JMUSports FacebookListen to Sunday’s Match via MadiZoneGame Notes (PDF)Record Book (PDF)
Red Storm to take on Cincinnati on Thursday and James Madison on Sunday
The St. John's women's soccer team will kick off the 2019 campaign on Thursday afternoon when the Johnnies travel to Harrisonburg, Va., for a pair of matches against Cincinnati and James Madison at the Fairfield Inn by Marriott JMU Invitational.
Thursday's game against Cincinnati is slated to begin at 4:30 p.m. Sunday's tilt with James Madison will be streamed live via the JMUSports Facebook page with audio available on MadiZONE. The Johnnies and the Dukes are scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m.
Already the winningest coach in St. John's women's soccer history, Ian Stone begins his 26th season on the sidelines for the program. Over his quarter century with the Red Storm, Stone has helped the Johnnies to 18 postseason tournament appearances and three NCAA Tournament berths (2009, 2013, 2015).
Under the guidance of Coach Stone, St. John's enters the 2019 season sporting a strong group of returning talent, including its top goal scorer from a year ago, Zsani Kajan. A unanimous selection to the All-BIG EAST Preseason Team, Kajan will look to build upon her success last season, as she recorded a team-best 11 goals, four of which were game winners. The Budapest, Hungary, native enters the 2019 season as the league's top returning goal scorer.
The Red Storm will be led in 2019 by a trio of captains, Madeline McCracken, Christine McBeath and Samantha Masur. Last season, McBeath saw minutes in all 19 games for St. John's. The Williamsburg, Va., native made significant contributions to a Red Storm squad that finished third in the BIG EAST with a conference mark of 5-3-1. Masur, a second-year captain for the Johnnies, started in all 17 games that she played, registering six shots, four of which were on goal. McCracken will return to the pitch for the Johnnies after sitting out last year due to injury.
Cincinnati is coming off a 2018 season that saw the program post a 6-9-3 overall record, including a 1-6-2 mark in the American Athletic Conference. The Bearcats were picked to finish sixth in the AAC Coaches' Preseason Poll for 2019. Individually, Vanessa DiNardo, a unanimous selection to the AAC All-Rookie Team last year, earned Preseason AAC All-Conference honors for the upcoming campaign. Thursday's contest will mark the fifth meeting all-time between the two programs with the Bearcats holding a 3-1 edge over the Johnnies.
The Dukes of JMU, the reigning regular season champions in the Colonial Athletic Association, finished the 2018 campaign with a record of 11-8-1, posting a 7-1-1 mark in conference action. The CAA's coaches predicted that James Madison would finish second in the league's preseason poll. The Dukes return a pair of lethal goal scorers in forward Haley Crawford, who was named the CAA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year after registering a team-high nine tallies last season. Junior forward Ginger Deel, who netted seven goals during the 2018 campaign, was also named to the Preseason All-CAA Team.
Sunday will mark the third all-time meeting on the pitch between St. John's and JMU, with the series tied a one win apiece.
Thursday's game against Cincinnati is slated to begin at 4:30 p.m. Sunday's tilt with James Madison will be streamed live via the JMUSports Facebook page with audio available on MadiZONE. The Johnnies and the Dukes are scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m.
Already the winningest coach in St. John's women's soccer history, Ian Stone begins his 26th season on the sidelines for the program. Over his quarter century with the Red Storm, Stone has helped the Johnnies to 18 postseason tournament appearances and three NCAA Tournament berths (2009, 2013, 2015).
Under the guidance of Coach Stone, St. John's enters the 2019 season sporting a strong group of returning talent, including its top goal scorer from a year ago, Zsani Kajan. A unanimous selection to the All-BIG EAST Preseason Team, Kajan will look to build upon her success last season, as she recorded a team-best 11 goals, four of which were game winners. The Budapest, Hungary, native enters the 2019 season as the league's top returning goal scorer.
The Red Storm will be led in 2019 by a trio of captains, Madeline McCracken, Christine McBeath and Samantha Masur. Last season, McBeath saw minutes in all 19 games for St. John's. The Williamsburg, Va., native made significant contributions to a Red Storm squad that finished third in the BIG EAST with a conference mark of 5-3-1. Masur, a second-year captain for the Johnnies, started in all 17 games that she played, registering six shots, four of which were on goal. McCracken will return to the pitch for the Johnnies after sitting out last year due to injury.
Cincinnati is coming off a 2018 season that saw the program post a 6-9-3 overall record, including a 1-6-2 mark in the American Athletic Conference. The Bearcats were picked to finish sixth in the AAC Coaches' Preseason Poll for 2019. Individually, Vanessa DiNardo, a unanimous selection to the AAC All-Rookie Team last year, earned Preseason AAC All-Conference honors for the upcoming campaign. Thursday's contest will mark the fifth meeting all-time between the two programs with the Bearcats holding a 3-1 edge over the Johnnies.
The Dukes of JMU, the reigning regular season champions in the Colonial Athletic Association, finished the 2018 campaign with a record of 11-8-1, posting a 7-1-1 mark in conference action. The CAA's coaches predicted that James Madison would finish second in the league's preseason poll. The Dukes return a pair of lethal goal scorers in forward Haley Crawford, who was named the CAA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year after registering a team-high nine tallies last season. Junior forward Ginger Deel, who netted seven goals during the 2018 campaign, was also named to the Preseason All-CAA Team.
Sunday will mark the third all-time meeting on the pitch between St. John's and JMU, with the series tied a one win apiece.
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