STJ To 1-0 Victory Over Hoyas In BIG EAST Quarterfinals St. John's advances to play No. 5/7 Notr
- krsgoalkeeping
- Nov 1, 2009
- 2 min read
With the win, the Red Storm advances to the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals for only the second time in program history. St. John's will face No. 1 National Division seed Notre Dame on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Morrone Stadium on the campus of the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Conn. The game will be broadcast live on CBS College Sports. The Fighting Irish are currently ranked No. 5 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Top 25 Poll and No. 7 in the Soccer America Poll.
"I am very proud of the team's performance in the game today," coach Ian Stone said. "The girls worked tremendously hard and deserved the win against an excellent opponent."
The win also marked an accomplishment for goalie Kristin Russell as she set the new program record with 19 career shutouts. The sophomore was strong in net, making five saves while cutting off numerous crosses by coming out of the box. She also had to fend off 10 Hoya corner kicks in the contest.
Mendoza scored her first goal of the season and the third of her career. Amanda Pasciolla and C.J. Ludemann registered assists, marking the fourth of the season for Pasciolla and the seventh of the year for Ludemann.
Georgetown started out the game strong, pressuring early and outshooting the Red Storm 9-4 in the first half. Out of the break, St. John's got the momentum in its favor and surged, tallying eight shots to GU's two.
In the first overtime period, the Red Storm and Hoyas matched shot for shot, but neither team caved as the strong defensive efforts prevailed.
St. John's did not waste any time in the second overtime, pressuring immediately. In its offensive third, Courtney Curby threw in the ball to Pasciolla, who broke through two defenders and passed the ball to Ludemann. After a touch, Ludemann quickly passed to a wide open Mendoza. Standing in the middle of the field about 30 yards out, Mendoza fired a shot that arced and went right through the goalie's hands for the winner.
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