Red Storm to Face Samford in Second Round of NCAA Tournament

The St. John's women's soccer team's stellar season continues on Friday when the Red Storm takes on Samford in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. First kick is slated for 4 p.m. at Duke's Koskinen Stadium in Durham, N.C.

The first-ever meeting between the Johnnies and the Bulldogs will be streamed on ESPN+. The winner of Friday's match will face either Duke or Memphis on Sunday in the tournament's third round.

The Johnnies enter Friday's contest on the heels of a thrilling overtime victory at Brown on Sunday. The Red Storm squad picked up the program's second ever NCAA tournament win and the first since 2013 thanks to the extra-time heroics from sophomore midfielder Ava Collins. The Auckland, New Zealand, native delivered the game-winning goal in the 99th minute for her fourth of the season and the sixth of her Red Storm career. For her efforts against the Bears, Collins earned national recognition, finding a spot on TopDrawerSoccer National Team of the Week.

Redshirt junior Naya Lipkens was also recognized by TopDrawerSoccer, after picking up her 10th solo shutout of the season en route to the Red Storm's win over Brown. The Bloomfield, Conn., native is just two clean sheets shy of tying Diana Poulin's single-season record of 12. Lipkens enters Friday's contest boasting a 0.84 goals against average and a 0.816 save percentage.

The Red Storm's defense was a force to be reckoned with in Sunday's win over the Bears. The trio of Katherine Turner, Nicole Multer and Shannon Aviza played all 99 minutes on the backline, coming up with crucial stops for the squad.

Entering Friday's match, BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year Zsani Kajan continues to be the engine behind the Red Storm's offense. The Budapest Hungary, native has found the back of the net 17 times this season to sit second overall in the nation. With five assists this year, Kajan is boasting 39 points on the campaign, good enough to rank fifth in all of Division I.

Samford advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday after defeating Auburn, 2-0, avenging its season-opening defeat at the hands of the Tigers. The Southern Conference champions are boasting an overall record of 16-3-2 and are riding a 13-game winning streak into Friday's matchup with the Johnnies.

In his 20th season at Samford, head coach Todd Yelton was named SoCon Coach of the Year. The Bulldogs also saw seven players earn conference recognition. Junior Kylie Gazza was named SoCon Defensive Player of the Year while also earning a spot on the All-SoCon First Team. Additionally, classmate Alyssa Frazier and junior Taylor Yount were selected to the league's first team. Juniors Mary Raymond and Lindsay Origliasson, as well as senior goalkeeper Morgan McAslan were named to the All-SoCon Second Team. Rookie Anna Major was named to the SoCon All-Freshman Team.

Frazier and Raymond lead the way for the Bulldogs on the attack. Frazier paces the team with 24 points, recording seven goals and 10 assists while Raymond has scored a team-leading nine goals and added four assists of her own. McAslan has played every minute between the pipes for the Bulldogs this season. The senior goalkeeper has picked up 10 shutouts and is boasting a 0.74 goals against average and a 0.820 save percentage.

Red Storm to Face Samford in Second Round of NCAA Tournament

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Players Mentioned

Shannon Aviza

Ava Collins

Zsani Kajan

Naya Lipkens

Nicole Multer

Katherine Turner

St. John's University Athletics