Johnnies to Kick Off BIG EAST Championship against Providence

The St. John's women's soccer team will make its 2021 postseason debut on Sunday afternoon, welcoming Providence to Belson Stadium for a 1 p.m. tilt.

The matchup between the fourth-seeded Johnnies and the fifth-seeded Friars will be broadcast live on the BIG EAST Digital Network with Drew Casey and Matt Ambrose on the call from Queens.

Should the Johnnies triumph over Providence this weekend, they would earn a date with the Xavier Musketeers in Cincinnati on Thursday.

The Red Storm enters postseason play on the heels of four-straight victories, most recently defeating Villanova, 2-1, on Thursday night at Belson Stadium. St. John's forwards Zsani Kajan and Nicole Gordon converted on goals in the 54th and 60th minutes to help lift St. John's to victory. With her tally against Villanova, Kajan bumped her season total up to 16 goals to lead the conference and sit second overall in the nation though games played on Friday. The Budapest, Hungary, native also picked up an assist on Gordon's goal increasing her career point total to 98. With 44 career goals, Kajan ranks eighth in the country among active leading scorers.

Naya Lipkens, who has started every game between the pipes for the Red Storm, has picked up clean sheets in three of the Johnnies' last four contests. The Bloomfield, Conn., native has recorded a combined eight shutouts on the campaign, as well as one shared shutout. The redshirt junior enters Sunday's contest boasting a 0.92 goals against average and .805 save percentage.

Providence concluded the BIG EAST regular season with a record of 10-5-3, including a 5-3-2 mark in conference action. In their final game of the regular season, the Friars shutout Seton Hall, 2-0, on Thursday night. Junior Angie Suaza and sophomore Meg Hughes each found the back of the net in the Friars' victory over the Pirates. Hughes scored nine times this season to lead her squad and sit in a tie for third overall in the conference.

Sophomore Emma Bodmer has played over 1,700 minutes in goal for the Friars this season, posting six shutouts on her way to an 10-5-3 record. Bodmer also owns a 0.90 goals against average and a 0.795 save percentage.

Providence and St. John's will meet for the 39th time in the history of the two programs on Sunday afternoon. The Friars hold a narrow series lead of 17-16-5 over the Red Storm. In the regular season meeting between the two programs on Oct. 17, St. John's defeated the Friars, 1-0, behind a goal from the league's leading scorer Kajan.

Johnnies to Kick Off BIG EAST Championship against Providence

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Players Mentioned

Nicole Gordon

Zsani Kajan

Naya Lipkens

St. John's University Athletics