St. John’s Tops Central Connecticut State, 3-0

Monday, September 5

QUEENS, N.Y. (BELSON STADIUM)

2 p.m.

St. John's University

3-1-2, 0-0-0

Central Connecticut State

2-4-0, 0-0-0

Central Conn. St.

St. John's (NY)

Ava Collins tallies her first goals of the year

9/5/2022 5:24:00 PM | Women's Soccer

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Collins records a brace as the Johnnies race past the Blue Devils

By: Christina Anderson

QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's women's soccer team triumphed over Central Connecticut State, 3-0, at Belson Stadium on Monday afternoon.

Ava Collins led the Johnnies (3-1-2) attack as she posted the first brace of her collegiate career. The junior scored on her first attempt of the match in the seventh minute. She buried her second goal into the bottom of the net in the 62nd minute for her final tally of the match. Kayla Mesaros scored her first goal of the season and the second of her career when she powered the ball past the CCSU (2-4) keeper in the 75th minute. The fifth-year midfielder added an assist on Collins second goal as well.

Between the pipes, Gina Muzi made one save as she improved to 3-1-1 with the triumph over the Blue Devils. The victory marked the second shutout of the year for the goalie. Caitlin Murphy picked up the loss as the junior recorded five saves for CCSU.

In the seventh minute of the match, the Johnnies took an early lead as the first shot of the game resulted in a goal for the Red and White. Melina Couzis threaded a pass to Nicole Gordon before the senior found Collins in the box. The Auckland, New Zealand, native sent a blast to the top right corner of the net for the first score of the match.

The St. John's offense continued to attack, outshooting the Blue Devils 5-0. CCSU recorded its first shot of the game in the 30th minute, but Muzi made a diving stop to keep the Blue Devils off the board.

The Johnnies continued to bombard the CCSU defense late into the first half. Lauryn Tran tallied a pair of shots for the Red Storm in the 33rd minute with neither able to connect. Angelina Scoma powered a shot on target in the 38th minute but could not get the ball past the Central Connecticut State keeper. Molly Feighan also fired in a pair of shots, only for the blasts to get saved by Murphy.

Holding the 11-1 edge in shots and the 4-1 advantage with shots on target through 45 minutes, the Red Storm led Central Connecticut State, 1-0, at the half.

Coming out of the break, CCSU tallied the first shot of the half in the 58th minute, but the attempt went high for the opposition. In the 62nd minute, the Red Storm pelted the Blue Devil defense with Jessica Garziano and Gordon pounding shots toward the goal. After Gordon's shot was blocked Mesaros slipped the ball by the defenders to Collins who flicked the ball into the back of the net to give the Red Storm the 2-0 advantage.

The Johnnies maintained their momentum late into the second half. With the Blue Demons in possession of the ball in the 75th minute, Garziano stripped the defender, looking to attack the goal. The ball found its way to the feet of Mesaros who fired a rocket into the top left corner for the third and final score of the match.

As a team, the St. John's outshot the Blue Devils, 17-3, while holding the 8-1 edge with shots on target. Corner kicks favored the Red and White, 4-1.

The Red Storm readies for a three-game road swing, starting on Sunday when the team takes on Lehigh at the Ulrich Sports Complex. Kick-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. on ESPN+.