St. John’s Battles UConn to Scoreless Draw

Wednesday, September 30

Queens, N.Y. (Cox Family Field at Belson Stadium)

7 p.m.

St. John's University

3-5-2, 0-1-1

UConn

2-2-5, 0-0-1

Team	1	2	Final F
UConn	0	0	0
St. John's (NY)	0	0	0

Photo by: Vincent Dusovic

9/30/2026 10:20:00 PM | Women's Soccer

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Kayla Bower records five saves in her fourth shutout of the season

QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's women's soccer team battled UConn to a scoreless draw on Wednesday night at Cox Family Field at Belson Stadium.

The Red Storm moved to 3-5-2 overall and 0-1-1 in BIG EAST play, while UConn moved to 2-2-5 and 0-0-1 in conference action. The Huskies held a 14-3 advantage in shots and a 9-3 edge in corner kicks, but the St. John's defense stood tall to secure its fourth clean sheet of the season.

Kayla Bower anchored the Red Storm defense, stopping all five shots she faced to record her fourth shutout of the campaign. Bower has now made 36 saves through 10 matches while posting a .800 save percentage and a 0.91 goals-against average. The clean sheet marked the eighth solo shutout of her St. John's career, while her five stops pushed her career total to 157 across 40 appearances

Leana Ruiz registered the Johnnies' lone shot on goal, while Leah Anand and Daniela Monzon each added an attempt. Ruiz's shot on target marked her first of the season, while Monzon recorded her first shot of the 2026 campaign.

Julianna Bivona continued to be a mainstay on the St. John's backline, playing all 90 minutes for the 10th consecutive match. The defender is the only Johnnie to play every minute this season, logging 900 minutes through 10 starts. Bivona has now appeared in 23 collegiate matches after spending her freshman campaign at South Florida.

UConn applied pressure throughout the opening half, but Bower and the Red Storm backline kept the Huskies off the board. Bower registered four saves over the first 28 minutes, including back-to-back stops on Ines Nourani in the 25th minute. Just two minutes later and Bower made an airborne stop to deny UConn the lead. St. John's generated a pair of opportunities of its own, as Anand sent an attempt wide in the 22nd minute before Ruiz put a shot on frame in the 34th. The Johnnies also earned three corner kicks as the sides entered halftime scoreless.

The Red Storm defense held firm after the break and limited UConn to four shots over the final 45 minutes after the Huskies registered 10 in the opening period. Monzon provided St. John's lone attempt of the second half, sending a shot just wide. Bower added another stop down the stretch and Telma Steindórsdóttir cleared a close encounter near the net in the closing 10 minutes. The Johnnies kept UConn off the scoreboard to secure the 0-0 draw.

The Red Storm will return Saturday, Oct. 3 to host Creighton for their Pink Game at 7 p.m.