Russell was named the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week

Blue Hen Classic Notes Live Stats

QUEENS, N.Y. - The St. John's women's soccer team looks to continue its winning ways when it travels to Newark, Del. for the Blue Hen Classic on Aug. 29 and Aug. 31 at Delaware Mini-Stadium. The Red Storm opens the tournament facing Towson on Friday at 5 p.m. then concludes play on Sunday facing host Delaware at 2:30 p.m.

• All four games of the Blue Hen Classic will feature live stats that can be accessed for free on Delaware's Web site, www.udel.edu/sportsinfo.

• The Red Storm and Towson meet for the first time in history on Friday night, while St. John's and Delaware face off for the third time. The series between the Red Storm and the Blue Hens is tied, 1-1, and dates back to the 1992 and 1993 seasons. STJ won the inaugural meeting, 1-0, at home on Sept. 12, 1992, but Delaware knotted the series with a 3-0 win on Oct. 3, 1993.

A Look At The Competition • Towson has posted a 1-1-0 record in 2008. The Tigers opened the year with a 3-0 loss to fellow BIG EAST member West Virginia on Aug. 22, but bounced back with a 2-1 victory over Mount St. Mary's on Aug. 24. In the win, freshman Courtney Hamsher and junior Kaitlyn Zamroz each found the back of the net, while senior Kendie Bauer made two saves en route to her first win of the season.

• Delaware will officially open its season on Friday against Lafayette at 7 p.m. The Blue Hens return its top two scorers from last year's squad in Amy Pickard (eight goals) and Caitlyn Germain (seven goals). The team, picked No. 7 in the pre-season Colonial Athletic Association Coaches Poll, is coming off an 8-10 slate in 2007 for an eighth-place finish in the league standings.

Red Storm-Fairfield Recap • The St. John's women's soccer team opened its 2008 campaign with a 1-0 shutout win over Fairfield at Belson Stadium on Aug. 22.

• St. John's (1-0) scored the only goal it needed in the opening period, jumping ahead in the 37th minute. After the ball was moved into the Red Storm offensive zone, junior C.J. Ludemann looked to make a move and then crossed the ball in front of the net. Junior Amanda Santos was waiting in front of the goal and headed the ball into the back right corner of the net past the keeper for the score. The goal was the third-career goal for Santos, and the assist marked the first for Ludemann in a Red Storm uniform, as she transferred from Duke this summer.

• Fairfield's (0-1) best scoring opportunity came in the 79th minute of play. Spenser Allaway had an open lane in the Stag's offensive third, but Vaila Barsley took away the opportunity by coming up with the defensive stop by tackling her in the box.

• In the opening minutes of contest, the Stags' offense pressured the Red Storm defense, but STJ quickly turned things into its favor and its offense surged the remainder of the way. The Red Storm finished the contest out-shooting Fairfield 13-4.

• Freshman Kristin Russell got the start in net and posted her first-career shutout en route to the victory.

Russell Named Goalkeeper of the Week • Russell was named the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week for the week ending Aug. 24. Russell had a big outing for the Red Storm in her first career game, helping lead St. John's to a 1-0 shutout win over Fairfield in the team's season opener. Getting the start in net, the St. Petersburg, Fla., native played all 90 minutes of regulation and faced four shots, while making one save. Russell was challenged early in the game, as the Fairfield offense pressured, but the she maintained her composure by coming out of the net to limit scoring opportunities.