St. John's University Athletics
Wednesday, October 7
Indianapolis, Ind. (Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl)
7 p.m.
St. John's University
at
Butler
Photo by: Vincent Dusovic
Women’s Soccer Heads to Butler for BIG EAST Road Test
10/6/2026 1:20:00 PM | Women's Soccer
The Red Storm carries back-to-back clean sheets into Wednesday’s matchup with the Bulldogs
QUEENS, N.Y. – After an unbeaten week, the St. John's women's soccer team will begin a two-game road trip on Wednesday night to battle Butler at Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl.
Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. in Indianapolis, Ind. Fans can tune into the contest on ESPN+.
St. John's (3-5-3, 0-1-2 BIG EAST) battled Creighton to a scoreless draw at Belson Stadium, earning a point for the second consecutive conference match. Despite facing a 17-6 deficit in total shots, the Red Storm defense limited the Bluejays to just three attempts on target. Kayla Bower stopped all three for her second straight clean sheet, while the Johnnies generated four shots on goal of their own. Janelle Sylvestre provided a late spark with two attempts on frame in the final minute, while Nora Basile registered two shots and Julianna Bivona added an attempt on target.
The Red Storm defense has been particularly strong as of late, posting consecutive scoreless draws against UConn and Creighton and holding both opponents without a goal across 180 minutes. St. John's has now recorded five clean sheets through 11 matches after posting just three through its first 11 contests a season ago. The Johnnies have conceded only nine goals all season, including just two through their first three BIG EAST matches, and own a 0.82 team goals-against average, which ranks fourth in the conference and 57th nationally.
The defensive duo of Bower and Bivona earned their way onto the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after helping the Red Storm post consecutive scoreless draws against UConn and Creighton. The honor marked Bivona's first weekly recognition of the season and Bower's second.
Bower continues to put together the strongest statistical season of her St. John's career. The graduate student has recorded 39 saves, five shutouts, a 0.83 goals-against average and an .813 save percentage through 11 appearances. Her five clean sheets have already surpassed her previous single-season career high of four from 2025, while both her goals-against average and save percentage are career-best marks. Bowers five shutouts rank 35th in the country and both her clean sheets and 978:57 minutes in goal rank second in the BIG EAST, while her goals-against average stands fourth in the league.
Bivona has been a fixture in front of Bower, playing all 990 minutes through the first 11 matches. The defender is the only Johnnie to play every minute this season and has started every contest after appearing in 13 matches during her freshman campaign at South Florida. Bivona has also become increasingly involved offensively, registering five shots this season with three on target.
Offensively, St. John's continues to feature a balanced attack. Basile leads the squad with three points and a team-high 19 shots, already surpassing her 18 attempts from the entire 2024 campaign. Carly Schuler ranks second with 13 shots through nine appearances, while Leah Anand has added nine. Seven different Johnnies have scored the team's seven goals this season, with five of its seven tallies coming after halftime. Sia Bharadwaj and Snæfríður Eva Eiríksdóttir share the team lead with two assists apiece.
St. John's and Butler will meet for the 15th time, with the Red Storm holding a 6-5-3 advantage in the all-time series. The Johnnies are unbeaten against the Bulldogs in Queens, posting a 4-0-3 record at Belson Stadium, while going 2-4-0 on the road. St. John's has earned a result in four of the last six meetings dating back to 2021. In the most recent matchup, the two sides battled to a 1-1 draw in Queens on Oct. 22, 2025. After Butler took the lead in the 71st minute, Hope Van Tuyle answered less than three minutes later, finishing a cross from Leana Ruiz for the equalizer. Bower added six saves to help the Johnnies secure a point in conference play.
Butler entered the 2026 campaign picked to finish eighth in the BIG EAST Preseason Poll. The Bulldogs return 12 players from last season's squad and welcome 13 newcomers to the roster.
The Bulldogs enter Wednesday's contest with a 6-2-3 overall record and a 1-0-2 mark in BIG EAST play. Butler went unbeaten last week, battling Seton Hall to a scoreless draw before earning a 3-2 victory over DePaul. Against the Blue Demons, Lily Kiliski leveled the match in the 22nd minute before Gemma Gillespie struck twice in a five-minute span during the second half to propel the Bulldogs to the win.
Following Wednesday's contest, the Red Storm will continue on the road, headed to Georgetown on Oct. 10 for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Shaw Field.
Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. in Indianapolis, Ind. Fans can tune into the contest on ESPN+.
St. John's (3-5-3, 0-1-2 BIG EAST) battled Creighton to a scoreless draw at Belson Stadium, earning a point for the second consecutive conference match. Despite facing a 17-6 deficit in total shots, the Red Storm defense limited the Bluejays to just three attempts on target. Kayla Bower stopped all three for her second straight clean sheet, while the Johnnies generated four shots on goal of their own. Janelle Sylvestre provided a late spark with two attempts on frame in the final minute, while Nora Basile registered two shots and Julianna Bivona added an attempt on target.
The Red Storm defense has been particularly strong as of late, posting consecutive scoreless draws against UConn and Creighton and holding both opponents without a goal across 180 minutes. St. John's has now recorded five clean sheets through 11 matches after posting just three through its first 11 contests a season ago. The Johnnies have conceded only nine goals all season, including just two through their first three BIG EAST matches, and own a 0.82 team goals-against average, which ranks fourth in the conference and 57th nationally.
The defensive duo of Bower and Bivona earned their way onto the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after helping the Red Storm post consecutive scoreless draws against UConn and Creighton. The honor marked Bivona's first weekly recognition of the season and Bower's second.
Bower continues to put together the strongest statistical season of her St. John's career. The graduate student has recorded 39 saves, five shutouts, a 0.83 goals-against average and an .813 save percentage through 11 appearances. Her five clean sheets have already surpassed her previous single-season career high of four from 2025, while both her goals-against average and save percentage are career-best marks. Bowers five shutouts rank 35th in the country and both her clean sheets and 978:57 minutes in goal rank second in the BIG EAST, while her goals-against average stands fourth in the league.
Bivona has been a fixture in front of Bower, playing all 990 minutes through the first 11 matches. The defender is the only Johnnie to play every minute this season and has started every contest after appearing in 13 matches during her freshman campaign at South Florida. Bivona has also become increasingly involved offensively, registering five shots this season with three on target.
Offensively, St. John's continues to feature a balanced attack. Basile leads the squad with three points and a team-high 19 shots, already surpassing her 18 attempts from the entire 2024 campaign. Carly Schuler ranks second with 13 shots through nine appearances, while Leah Anand has added nine. Seven different Johnnies have scored the team's seven goals this season, with five of its seven tallies coming after halftime. Sia Bharadwaj and Snæfríður Eva Eiríksdóttir share the team lead with two assists apiece.
St. John's and Butler will meet for the 15th time, with the Red Storm holding a 6-5-3 advantage in the all-time series. The Johnnies are unbeaten against the Bulldogs in Queens, posting a 4-0-3 record at Belson Stadium, while going 2-4-0 on the road. St. John's has earned a result in four of the last six meetings dating back to 2021. In the most recent matchup, the two sides battled to a 1-1 draw in Queens on Oct. 22, 2025. After Butler took the lead in the 71st minute, Hope Van Tuyle answered less than three minutes later, finishing a cross from Leana Ruiz for the equalizer. Bower added six saves to help the Johnnies secure a point in conference play.
Butler entered the 2026 campaign picked to finish eighth in the BIG EAST Preseason Poll. The Bulldogs return 12 players from last season's squad and welcome 13 newcomers to the roster.
The Bulldogs enter Wednesday's contest with a 6-2-3 overall record and a 1-0-2 mark in BIG EAST play. Butler went unbeaten last week, battling Seton Hall to a scoreless draw before earning a 3-2 victory over DePaul. Against the Blue Demons, Lily Kiliski leveled the match in the 22nd minute before Gemma Gillespie struck twice in a five-minute span during the second half to propel the Bulldogs to the win.
Following Wednesday's contest, the Red Storm will continue on the road, headed to Georgetown on Oct. 10 for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Shaw Field.
Players Mentioned
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Forward
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Midfielder
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Defender
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Goalkeeper
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Defender
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Midfielder
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Midfielder
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Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's SoccerWednesday, September 09
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Saturday, October 25
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