St. John’s (2-4-3, 0-1-1 Big East) earned a 1-1 draw against Providence (3-2-2, 0-01 Big East) in their conference home opener on Sept. 24. The Red Storm’s lone goal came from a penalty kick by sophomore Telma Steindórsdóttir.
The Red Storm were looking to bounce back following a tough 2-0 loss at the hands of UConn on Sept. 20. Meanwhile, the Providence Friars had yet to kick off their conference schedule prior to the match.
The intensity of Big East conference play was evident throughout the physical matchup. Fouls accumulated on both sides, with Providence tallying 11 to St. John’s 10, highlighting the physical nature of the game.
The Friars jumped out to an early 1-0 lead after redshirt junior midfielder Theaea Mouratidis took advantage of a crucial Red Storm turnover and netted an unassisted goal. Mouratidis drilled a left-footed top-left corner chip shot just out of the reach of opposing goalkeeper, Kayla Bower. Bower went to the apex of her leap to try and deny the chip, but couldn’t quite reach it.
Despite conceding an early goal, Bower was lights out for the rest of the contest. Racking up six total saves, she was St. John’s most valuable player. Without Bower’s exceptional play in the net, this game ending in a draw was unlikely.
The senior will be bidding for Big East goalkeeper of the week once again following this strong performance. An honor that Bower previously took home this season for her strong performance against Youngstown State. In that match, Bower posted five saves and only conceded a penalty.
The first half was all Friars up until a crucial mistake committed by redshirt sophomore defender Naiya McFarlane. A handball with two seconds remaining in the first half inside of her own box led to a penalty shot.
Red Storm head coach Ian Stone chose Steindórsdóttir to step up to the penalty hash with a chance to even the score heading into the half. Steindórsdóttir did just that, choosing to shoot in the bottom right corner knotting the score up at 1-1.
St. John’s let UConn score multiple goals late in the first half in their previous game, which ultimately cost them the match. On Wednesday night, the Johnnies reversed the trend by netting a key goal with time expiring in the half.
By learning from their crucial mistake against UConn, it demonstrates how this St. John’s team is improving as the season moves along.
Despite the fortunate penalty goal, the Red Storm were outplayed in the first half. Providence played stifling defense and out-shot them seven to three. Every time St. John’s was able to clear the ball out of their end, the Friar defenders were always ready to boot it right back in.
The beginning of the second half was more of the same; Providence was firmly in the driver’s seat. A clutch save from Bower began to swing the momentum back into St. John’s favor. She left her net, sprinting full speed right at an oncoming attacker and leaped onto the ball like it was a loose fumble.
On top of Bower continuing to shine in the net, St. John’s played much more aggressively in the second half. The Johnnies matched the Friars’ intensity every step of the way in the final forty-five minutes.
In the final 20 minutes of play, St. John’s dominated possession, flipping the script on Providence. Unfortunately for the Red Storm, three offside penalties killed any chance they had at taking the lead. The Red Storm wingers seemingly could not hold their run on potential through balls.
In the very late stages of the match, Providence had a chance to make something happen. A free kick was awarded to the Friars, and the referee stopped the clock with 25.5 ticks to play. The free kick was not a great one—Red Storm defenders came up to play the ball at the top of the box and quickly won possession.
A clutch clearance from the Red Storm defense shut down any chance of a Providence miracle, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
After being dominated early, St. John’s will live with a draw against a tough Providence side. If it was not for the multitude of costly offside calls against the Red Storm in the second half, this game could have looked different in the end.
The Red Storm earned a hard-fought first point of the season with a draw. They will be back in action on Sept. 27, hitting the road for South Orange, New Jersey, where they have a date with the 0-2-0 Seton Hall Pirates.