St. John's And Fordham Play To A Double-Overtime Scoreless Draw
QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's and Fordham kept the fans who came out to the 2011 Belson-opener on the edge of their seats, but despite 33 shots, the contest finished at a 0-0 double-overtime draw on Friday night. The Red Storm outshot the Rams 21-11.
"Our team showed a lot of heart and desire tonight, especially during the end of that second overtime period," remarked head coach Ian Stone. "Moving forward, we have to be a little bit sharper and crisper toward the beginning of the game, but we played hard and we defended well. As the game went on, we began to see a lot better opportunities that will find the back of the net as the season goes on."
St. John's (1-1-1) dominated the possession clock in the first half, as the Red Storm's speed outmatched Fordham's midfield line. Red Storm goalkeeper Kristin Russell played an aggressive match, coming out beyond the 20-yard box to stop any Fordham (0-1-1) offensive plays from developing. Russell and the Red Storm defensive starters of Megan Klement,Sandra Osborn, Patrice Casimirheld Fordham to just three shots in the first half.
With just under six minutes to play in the first half, Deanna Murinohad a shot right in front of the goal, but her attempt went to the top of the net and over the cross bar as Fordham's Rachel Suther tipped it over.
Senior Jen Leaverton, who scored against George Mason, helped create the offensive pressure for the Red Storm. Her two shots the middle of the second period went just wide of the net as both were taken on a fast break toward a through pass from the midfield. Leaverton's angle just missed wide both times.
"Jen has been absolutely phenomenal, not just in the way she is playing but in the leadership she is providing," said Stone. "Every day at practice, she's been consistent and working so hard and she's a great example to the young players. She had a great summer and she's carrying that over into the early part of the season and we're really excited about what she can do here this year."
In the 75th minute, Fordham had its first real chance to score with two-consecutive corners for a chance to break the scoreless-tie. The first corner resulted in a header by Kaitlyn Carballeira that was blocked by the Red Storm defense and went out of bounds at the goal line, resulting in another corner. This time, the corner pass was caught in a scrum in front of the Red Storm's goal before St. John's was able to clear it out up the sideline with Leaverton.
Back down on the Red Storm's half of the field, Amy Marron'sshort fastbreak goal attempt was fouled by Suther coming out from the box and stealing the ball from the Red Storm sophomore's feet.
In the first overtime, Fordham had its second chance to score as Katherine Wah's shot came inches from going in. Wah's shot hit the cross bar, as Russell went up to protect her net to make sure it would stay safely out of St. John's goal.
In the second overtime, St. John's had two shot attempts, as Anna Torregiano'stry was blocked by the foot of a Ram and Marron's went high and over the net.
Up next, St. John's will travel to Charlottesville, Va., for a rematch of the Red Storm's 2009 NCAA Tournament game against No. 6/15 Virginia. Originally scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 28, the game has been rescheduled to Tuesday, Aug. 30 at 5 p.m., due to predicted inclement weather conditions from hurricane Irene.
