St. John’s Red Storm
Overall Rank: #35
#3 Big East
St. John's Team Page
St. John’s got off to a great start in 2013, winning their first six games of the year. After that things were more up and down for the Red Storm. St. John’s did reach the NCAA Tournament and pulled off one of the bigger upsets of the first round, knocking off third seeded UCF 3-1. The usually potent offense faltered in the second round against Arkansas in a 1-0 loss. Some big names are gone, but the biggest name is back and that could be enough for this group to get back to the NCAA Tournament.
2013 Record: 12-6-3, 4-3-2
2013 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Ian Stone
Returning Leaders:
Goals: Rachel Daly, Junior, F, 23
Assists: Rachel Hoffman, Senior, M/D, 4; Rachel Daly, Junior, F, 4
Shots: Rachel Daly, Junior, F, 50
Saves: Diana Poulin, Sophomore, GK, 82
Other Key Returnees: M/F Morgan Tinari, F Miranda Haraughty, M/F Deanna Murino, F/M Caitlyn McLaughlin, M/F Emily Cubbage, F Chelsey Martino, D/M Georgia Kearney-Perry
Key Losses: F/M/D Amy Marron, F/D Hailey Hemmer, M Lara Pedersen, D/M Sarah Ashmore
Strengths:
Rachel Daly tied atop the national rankings with 23 goals. She is one of the best pure goal scorers in the nation and can take half chances and quickly turn them into goals. Daly nearly single-handedly turned around the Red Storm program and she will keep it rolling in 2014. Morgan Tinari had a very promising freshman campaign, netting four goals in 20 starts. Tinari could very well emerge as the secondary scoring option the Johnnies need beside Daly. Miranda Haraughty, Deanna Murino, Caitlyn McLaughlin, Emily Cubbage and Chelsey Martino are all returning options in the midfield and up front. The defense has some talent returning, most notably keeper Diana Poulin. Poulin allowed just 20 goals in 20 games and boasted a .804 save percentage.
Weaknesses:
Even though there is plenty of talent returning for Coach Ian Stone, there are also a few big holes to fill. Amy Marron, a College Sports Madness first-team All-Big East honoree, scored four goals and added a team high seven assists during her senior season. Marron moved all over the pitch throughout her four years with the Red Storm and could fill just about any gap that happened to appear. Defenders Hailey Hemmer and Sarah Ashmore were also named to the College Sports Madness All-Big East team after their senior seasons and filling in for them in the back is not going to be simple. The other big departure is midfielder Lara Pedersen, who started 20 games in 2013.
Final Projection:
Daly alone can get St. John’s close to the NCAA Tournament, but she will need some help from other attacking threats to get this team over the top. With Poulin in goal, St. John’s could do much more than just reach the NCAA Tournament if the defense in front of her can fill a couple gaps. If all of that goes well, St. John’s will seriously compete for a Big East title.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Tournament
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 1.86 (60th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Goals-Against Average: 0.919 (69, 4)
Shutout Percentage: 0.476 (42, 2)
Save Percentage: 0.818 (68, 3)
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