A Year of Milestones for Women’s Soccer

For the second time in its 27-year history, the Red Storm Women’s Soccer team made the big dance. After posting an impressive 11-5-3 regular-season record – including an undefeated mark at home – the squad earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, where it beat the University of Central Florida for the program’s first-ever tournament win.

“I’m so, so happy that we’ve managed to get into the NCAA Tournament,” said Head Coach Ian Stone. “It’s a dream. We have 11 wins [this season], and I think one of the things that factored into our selection is that we’ve done well recently, including making the BIG EAST semifinals.”

Although the Red Storm ultimately fell to Arkansas in the Second Round, the season proved historic. Forward Rachel Daly ’16CPS set the all-time program records for single-season points (47) and goals (22) and was the nation’s leading scorer as of November 7, 2013. In recognition of her monster year, Daly was named both BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year by a vote of the league’s head coaches, a unanimous selection for both major accolades.
 
Perhaps the season’s most exciting moment came in the regular-season finale. In a crucial game to clinch its entry into the BIG EAST Tournament, St. John’s pulled off an upset by claiming a 3-0 victory over DePaul University in front of a season-high 1,759 fans at Belson Stadium.

“It’s a very talented group that really had to come together as a team,” Stone explained. “We had our backs against the wall a number of times this season, and that’s when you really find out what that character is all about, when they really had no other choice but to come together. That’s what makes this so exciting for me.”

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