St. John's University Athletics
Thursday, September 30
Queens, N.Y. (Belson Stadium)
7 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
Butler University
St. John’s to Host Butler on Thursday Evening
9/29/2021 5:22:00 PM | Women's Soccer
The Johnnies and the Bulldogs will kick off at 7 p.m.
Following back-to-back victories to kick off BIG EAST play, the St. John's women's soccer team will look to stay perfect in conference action on Thursday night when it welcomes Butler to Belson Stadium. Kick-off is set for 7 p.m.
The game will be broadcast on the BIG EAST Digital Network on FloSports with Drew Casey on the call from Queens.
The Red Storm is seeking its first 3-0 start in BIG EAST play since 2015. That year, the Johnnies opened up conference action with wins over Seton Hall, Butler and Marquette before going on to win their first BIG EAST Regular Season Championship and finish 15-4-1.
The reigning BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week, Naya Lipkens has been excelling for the Johnnies this season. The Bloomfield, Conn., native has recorded five clean sheets and one shared shutout though nine games this year to rank second overall in the conference. Last week, Lipkens recorded 14 saves, including a league-high 12 against DePaul on Sunday afternoon. Through nine matches, Lipkens is boasting a 0.88 goals against average and a .830 save percentage to rank seventh and third overall in the conference.
Leading the way on the attack for St. John's is Zsani Kajan, who tops the BIG EAST and ranks fourth nationally with 10 goals on the campaign. The Budapest, Hungary, native is the only player in program history to record double-digit scoring in three different seasons, as she logged a career-high 11 scores in 2018 and again in 2019. With 10 goals on the year, Kajan bumped her career total to 38 goals, passing Cristin Burtis and moving into third on the Red Storm's all-time scoring list. In the Red Storm's most recent contest with DePaul on Sunday afternoon, Kajan picked up an assist on Ava Collins' game-winning goal, increasing her point total to a BIG EAST most 23.
Collins, who earned a spot on the All-BIG EAST Freshman Team at the conclusion of the 2021 spring campaign, picked up her third goal of the season on Sunday afternoon and her first of conference play. With three goals on the year, the Auckland, New Zealand, native has surpassed her goal total from her rookie campaign.
Butler comes to Queens with a record of 9-1-0, suffering its lone loss off the season against Michigan on Aug. 19. Since then, the Bulldogs are riding a nine-game winning streak, most recently defeating BIG EAST foe Seton Hall, 3-1, on Sunday.
Katie Soderstrom leads the way for Butler offensively, netting eight goals on the season. The redshirt junior has also picked up four helpers on the year for a combined 20 points, good enough to rank second in the BIG EAST behind Kajan.
Thursday will mark the 10th all-time meeting between the Johnnies and the Bulldogs with the series tied at 4-4-1. This matchup between the two BIG EAST teams will be the first since the 2019 campaign.
Following Thursday's contest, St. John's will travel to Cincinnati for a meeting with Xavier on Oct. 7. The two teams are slated to kick off at 7 p.m.
The game will be broadcast on the BIG EAST Digital Network on FloSports with Drew Casey on the call from Queens.
The Red Storm is seeking its first 3-0 start in BIG EAST play since 2015. That year, the Johnnies opened up conference action with wins over Seton Hall, Butler and Marquette before going on to win their first BIG EAST Regular Season Championship and finish 15-4-1.
The reigning BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week, Naya Lipkens has been excelling for the Johnnies this season. The Bloomfield, Conn., native has recorded five clean sheets and one shared shutout though nine games this year to rank second overall in the conference. Last week, Lipkens recorded 14 saves, including a league-high 12 against DePaul on Sunday afternoon. Through nine matches, Lipkens is boasting a 0.88 goals against average and a .830 save percentage to rank seventh and third overall in the conference.
Leading the way on the attack for St. John's is Zsani Kajan, who tops the BIG EAST and ranks fourth nationally with 10 goals on the campaign. The Budapest, Hungary, native is the only player in program history to record double-digit scoring in three different seasons, as she logged a career-high 11 scores in 2018 and again in 2019. With 10 goals on the year, Kajan bumped her career total to 38 goals, passing Cristin Burtis and moving into third on the Red Storm's all-time scoring list. In the Red Storm's most recent contest with DePaul on Sunday afternoon, Kajan picked up an assist on Ava Collins' game-winning goal, increasing her point total to a BIG EAST most 23.
Collins, who earned a spot on the All-BIG EAST Freshman Team at the conclusion of the 2021 spring campaign, picked up her third goal of the season on Sunday afternoon and her first of conference play. With three goals on the year, the Auckland, New Zealand, native has surpassed her goal total from her rookie campaign.
Butler comes to Queens with a record of 9-1-0, suffering its lone loss off the season against Michigan on Aug. 19. Since then, the Bulldogs are riding a nine-game winning streak, most recently defeating BIG EAST foe Seton Hall, 3-1, on Sunday.
Katie Soderstrom leads the way for Butler offensively, netting eight goals on the season. The redshirt junior has also picked up four helpers on the year for a combined 20 points, good enough to rank second in the BIG EAST behind Kajan.
Thursday will mark the 10th all-time meeting between the Johnnies and the Bulldogs with the series tied at 4-4-1. This matchup between the two BIG EAST teams will be the first since the 2019 campaign.
Following Thursday's contest, St. John's will travel to Cincinnati for a meeting with Xavier on Oct. 7. The two teams are slated to kick off at 7 p.m.
Players Mentioned
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Goalkeeper
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