St. John’s Blanks Providence, 1-0, on Senior Day

Sunday, October 17

Queens, N.Y. (Belson Stadium)

1 p.m.

St. John's University

7-5-2, 3-3-1

Providence College

8-5-2, 3-3-1

Providence

St. John's (NY)

10/17/2021 4:31:00 PM | Women's Soccer

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Kajan scores game-winning goal in the 63rd minute

Zsani Kajan buried a penalty kick in the 63rd minute on Sunday afternoon, as the St. John's women's soccer team defeated Providence, 1-0, on Senior Day at Belson Stadium.

The score marked Kajan's 12th of the campaign, a single-season best for the Budapest, Hungary, native. With 12 tallies though 14 contests this year, Kajan bumped her career total up to 40 goals, tying Adriana Viola for second on the program's all-time scoring list.

Naya Lipkens, who had stopped 52 shots prior to Sunday's contest, turned aside five of the Friars' tries on target for a career-high 57 saves on the season. With the shutout against Providence, Lipkens has recorded six clean sheets this year, as well as one shared shutout. The Bloomfield, Conn., native is the first Johnnie to log six shutouts in a single season since Diana Poulin recorded a program-high 12 in 2016.

The Friars appeared to net the first goal of the game in the seventh minute, but the tally was negated by the assistant referee's flag as the play was called offsides.

Providence (8-5-2, 3-3-1 BIG EAST) continued to control the momentum throughout the early going of the contest, holding St. John's (7-5-2, 3-3-1 BIG EAST) without a shot though the first 40 minutes of action.

The Red Storm registered a pair of quality opportunities over the final few minutes of the opening half, as Angelina Scoma narrowly missed in the 41st minute before Kajan saw her attempt sail over the crossbar in the 43rd.

With a little over 90 seconds to play in the opening half, the Friars registered one final scoring chance, as Hannah McNulty rocketed a shot toward the top of the cage. Lipkens, however, came up with a clutch stop to keep the Friars off the board and send both programs into the locker room scoreless.

Coming out of the intermission, Kajan saw her second scoring chance of the afternoon in the 55th minute, as the Budapest Hungary native's shot went high.

Less than 10 minutes later, Kajan's third scoring opportunity presented itself as she was called upon in the 63rd minute to take the penalty kick. The sequence of events began as Nicole Gordon was taken down in the box by Providence's Maria Paveglio, setting up the penalty kick opportunity for Kajan. The graduate student delivered a booming strike to the left corner of the cage for the game-winning tally.

The Friars continued to test the Red Storm's backline over the remainder of the match, but Lipkens made a pair of crucial saves over the final nine minutes to lock in the win for St. John's.

The Red Storm returns to action on Thursday evening, as the Johnnies visit South Orange, N.J., for a 7 p.m. matchup with Seton Hall.