St. John's University Athletics
Thursday, August 14
Amherst, Mass. (Rudd Field)
4 p.m.
St. John's University
at
UMass
St. John’s Women's Soccer to Open 2025 Campaign at UMass
8/13/2025 1:43:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Red Storm will begin 2025-26 athletic year on Thursday with 4 p.m. kick-off at Rudd Field
QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's Women's Soccer team will kick-off the 2025-26 athletic year on Thursday when it opens its campaign on the road at UMass for a 4 p.m. start at Rudd Field in Amherst, Mass.
The Red Storm and Minutewomen will be the sixth game to kick-off across the country as the 2025 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer season gets underway on Thursday. The contest will be streamed on ESPN+ with Nathan Strauss on the call from Amherst and live stats will be available here.
The Johnnies are seeking their fifth-straight win in season openers, dating back to the spring 2021 campaign. Four of the five victories during the streak have come by multiple goals and the Red Storm will begin the season with a true road game for the first time since 2018, when it fell at Tennessee, 2-0.
Head Coach Ian Stone returns for his 32nd year at the helm in Queens, where he has led the program since the 1994 campaign. The second active winningest coach in the BIG EAST holds 282 career victories and is the fourth-longest tenured head coach at a singular NCAA Division I program.
In 2024, the Johnnies finished the year with a 6-7-5 overall record and tallied a 5-1-2 mark during non-conference competiton. St. John's returns 19 players from last year's squad, including five regular starters. Team captain Emily Riggins returns for her senior season, the Bethpage, N.Y. has started in 43 of her 52 collegiate appearances. In net, senior Kayla Bower is back in Queens after making 10 starts between the pipes and boasting a team-best 1.30 GAA last season.
In addition to the bulk of returners, the Red Storm welcome a class of 11 newcomers to campus. St. John's added a talented 10-player freshman class that is highlighted by Dominican Republic Senior National Team player and Queens native Jaylen Valecillo, two-time All-New York State selection Alina Lagace from Latham, N.Y. and Washington Post All-Metro First Team honoree Leah Anand from Northern Virginia.
The two sides will meet for the fourth-ever time and the first since 2021. St. John's is unbeaten against the Minutewomen and hold a 2-0-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Johnnies outlasted UMass during the 2021 spring campaign, 1-0, behind a Jessica Garziano penalty kick. In the last meeting in Amherst, Mass., St. John's also came out on top via a strike from the penalty spot as all-time great and World Cup Finalist Rachel Daly delivered the game-winner on Aug. 29, 2013.
In the 2025 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' poll, the Johnnies were slated to finish 10th.
UMass heads into the 2025 season coming off a 13-5-3 overall record and a runner-up finish in last year's Atlantic 10 Tournament. Thursday's match will mark the UMass' first athletic competition as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), which the school joined officially on July 1. The Minutewomen were predicted to finish fourth in the league's preseason poll.
After Thursday's season opener, the Johnnies will have a 10-day break before it heads to Saint Joseph's on Aug. 24 before its home debut in Queens against Youngstown State on Aug. 31.
The Red Storm and Minutewomen will be the sixth game to kick-off across the country as the 2025 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer season gets underway on Thursday. The contest will be streamed on ESPN+ with Nathan Strauss on the call from Amherst and live stats will be available here.
The Johnnies are seeking their fifth-straight win in season openers, dating back to the spring 2021 campaign. Four of the five victories during the streak have come by multiple goals and the Red Storm will begin the season with a true road game for the first time since 2018, when it fell at Tennessee, 2-0.
Head Coach Ian Stone returns for his 32nd year at the helm in Queens, where he has led the program since the 1994 campaign. The second active winningest coach in the BIG EAST holds 282 career victories and is the fourth-longest tenured head coach at a singular NCAA Division I program.
In 2024, the Johnnies finished the year with a 6-7-5 overall record and tallied a 5-1-2 mark during non-conference competiton. St. John's returns 19 players from last year's squad, including five regular starters. Team captain Emily Riggins returns for her senior season, the Bethpage, N.Y. has started in 43 of her 52 collegiate appearances. In net, senior Kayla Bower is back in Queens after making 10 starts between the pipes and boasting a team-best 1.30 GAA last season.
In addition to the bulk of returners, the Red Storm welcome a class of 11 newcomers to campus. St. John's added a talented 10-player freshman class that is highlighted by Dominican Republic Senior National Team player and Queens native Jaylen Valecillo, two-time All-New York State selection Alina Lagace from Latham, N.Y. and Washington Post All-Metro First Team honoree Leah Anand from Northern Virginia.
The two sides will meet for the fourth-ever time and the first since 2021. St. John's is unbeaten against the Minutewomen and hold a 2-0-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Johnnies outlasted UMass during the 2021 spring campaign, 1-0, behind a Jessica Garziano penalty kick. In the last meeting in Amherst, Mass., St. John's also came out on top via a strike from the penalty spot as all-time great and World Cup Finalist Rachel Daly delivered the game-winner on Aug. 29, 2013.
In the 2025 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' poll, the Johnnies were slated to finish 10th.
UMass heads into the 2025 season coming off a 13-5-3 overall record and a runner-up finish in last year's Atlantic 10 Tournament. Thursday's match will mark the UMass' first athletic competition as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), which the school joined officially on July 1. The Minutewomen were predicted to finish fourth in the league's preseason poll.
After Thursday's season opener, the Johnnies will have a 10-day break before it heads to Saint Joseph's on Aug. 24 before its home debut in Queens against Youngstown State on Aug. 31.
Players Mentioned
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
MID
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