St. John's University Athletics
Saturday, September 19
Queens, N.Y. (Cox Family Field at Belson Stadium)
7 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
Penn
Photo by: Jack Verdeur
St. John’s to Face Penn at Home Saturday Night
9/18/2026 1:15:00 PM | Women's Soccer
The Red Storm take on the Quakers for just the fourth time ever
QUEENS, N.Y. – After a 10-day layoff, the St. John's women's soccer team will return to Cox Family Field at Belson Stadium to host Penn for its Play4Mary game on Saturday night.
Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. in Queens with Satchel Peña-Rivero on the call. Fans can tune into the contest on the St. John's Red Storm YouTube channel.
Fans are encouraged to wear gold to the game as St. John's women's soccer partners with the Mary Ruchalski Foundation, to raise money and awareness for pediatric cancer. Fans can participate in raffles, bake sales and purchase a t-shirt to help us raise money for the foundation. Free shoelaces and bows will be available at the main entrance of the stadium.
St. John's (3-3-1) returned to the win column with a 1-0 victory over Central Connecticut State on Sept. 9, using a dominant offensive effort and another strong defensive performance to secure its second straight home win. The Red Storm controlled the match from start to finish, outshooting the Blue Devils, 17-4, including an 11-3 advantage in the second half.
Leah Anand provided the difference, netting her first collegiate goal in the 34th minute to give the Johnnies a lead they never relinquished. Sia Bharadwaj and Nora Basile fueled the Red Storm attack, combining for nine shots. Bharadwaj registered a season-high five attempts in just 39 minutes and nearly found the back of the net with a first-half strike off the crossbar, while Basile added four shots.
Kayla Bower and the St. John's back line took care of the rest, holding CCSU to just four shots and securing the team's third clean sheet of the season. The shutout marked Bower's third of the campaign as the Red Storm improved to 3-3-1 overall.
Basile, Anand and freshman Carly Schuler have emerged as key contributors to the Red Storm attack through the opening seven matches. Each has found the back of the net once, while Basile has also added an assist. The trio has combined for 30 of St. John's 67 shots this season.
Bower has continued to be a steady presence between the pipes for the Johnnies throughout the 2026 campaign. The graduate student has played all 630 minutes in goal, second in the BIG EAST in minutes played. The Lincoln Park, N.J., native ranks third in the conference with three clean sheets, which rank 44th nationally. Through seven matches, Bower sits third in the league with 3.14 saves per game while posting a 0.86 goals-against average and a .786 save percentage.
St. John's and Penn will meet for just the fourth time, with the all-time series dating back to 2000. The Red Storm holds a 2-1-0 advantage over the Quakers, including a 2-1 road victory in the most recent meeting in 2024. Hope Van Tuyle opened the scoring for the Johnnies before Jailene DeJesus converted from the penalty spot in the 51st minute to double the advantage. Penn pulled within one 10 minutes later, but strong goalkeeping from Bower and Malene Nielsen, coupled with a resilient Red Storm backline, kept the Quakers off the board the rest of the way to secure the victory in Philadelphia.
Entering 2026, Penn was picked to finish sixth in the Ivy League Preseason Poll and return nine starters from last year's squad, including All-Ivy League First Team selection Abbey Cook.
The Quakers come into Saturday's contest with a 4-3-1 overall record and ride a three-game winning streak. After a 4-0 win over Saint Joseph's and a 1-0 victory over Towson, Casey Forman and Lily White were both recognized on the Ivy League Weekly Honor Roll. Most recently, Penn secured a 2-1 victory over Jefferson to add to the streak.
Following Saturday's contest, the Red Storm will open up conference play on the road, heading to Villanova on Sept. 26 for a 4 p.m. kickoff.
Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. in Queens with Satchel Peña-Rivero on the call. Fans can tune into the contest on the St. John's Red Storm YouTube channel.
Fans are encouraged to wear gold to the game as St. John's women's soccer partners with the Mary Ruchalski Foundation, to raise money and awareness for pediatric cancer. Fans can participate in raffles, bake sales and purchase a t-shirt to help us raise money for the foundation. Free shoelaces and bows will be available at the main entrance of the stadium.
St. John's (3-3-1) returned to the win column with a 1-0 victory over Central Connecticut State on Sept. 9, using a dominant offensive effort and another strong defensive performance to secure its second straight home win. The Red Storm controlled the match from start to finish, outshooting the Blue Devils, 17-4, including an 11-3 advantage in the second half.
Leah Anand provided the difference, netting her first collegiate goal in the 34th minute to give the Johnnies a lead they never relinquished. Sia Bharadwaj and Nora Basile fueled the Red Storm attack, combining for nine shots. Bharadwaj registered a season-high five attempts in just 39 minutes and nearly found the back of the net with a first-half strike off the crossbar, while Basile added four shots.
Kayla Bower and the St. John's back line took care of the rest, holding CCSU to just four shots and securing the team's third clean sheet of the season. The shutout marked Bower's third of the campaign as the Red Storm improved to 3-3-1 overall.
Basile, Anand and freshman Carly Schuler have emerged as key contributors to the Red Storm attack through the opening seven matches. Each has found the back of the net once, while Basile has also added an assist. The trio has combined for 30 of St. John's 67 shots this season.
Bower has continued to be a steady presence between the pipes for the Johnnies throughout the 2026 campaign. The graduate student has played all 630 minutes in goal, second in the BIG EAST in minutes played. The Lincoln Park, N.J., native ranks third in the conference with three clean sheets, which rank 44th nationally. Through seven matches, Bower sits third in the league with 3.14 saves per game while posting a 0.86 goals-against average and a .786 save percentage.
St. John's and Penn will meet for just the fourth time, with the all-time series dating back to 2000. The Red Storm holds a 2-1-0 advantage over the Quakers, including a 2-1 road victory in the most recent meeting in 2024. Hope Van Tuyle opened the scoring for the Johnnies before Jailene DeJesus converted from the penalty spot in the 51st minute to double the advantage. Penn pulled within one 10 minutes later, but strong goalkeeping from Bower and Malene Nielsen, coupled with a resilient Red Storm backline, kept the Quakers off the board the rest of the way to secure the victory in Philadelphia.
Entering 2026, Penn was picked to finish sixth in the Ivy League Preseason Poll and return nine starters from last year's squad, including All-Ivy League First Team selection Abbey Cook.
The Quakers come into Saturday's contest with a 4-3-1 overall record and ride a three-game winning streak. After a 4-0 win over Saint Joseph's and a 1-0 victory over Towson, Casey Forman and Lily White were both recognized on the Ivy League Weekly Honor Roll. Most recently, Penn secured a 2-1 victory over Jefferson to add to the streak.
Following Saturday's contest, the Red Storm will open up conference play on the road, heading to Villanova on Sept. 26 for a 4 p.m. kickoff.
Players Mentioned
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Goalkeeper
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
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