QUEENS, N.Y. — A three-goal first half helped lead the St. John's women's soccer team to a 4-1 victory over Cornell at Belson Stadium on Thursday evening.
Jordyn Levy, Lauryn Tran, and Juliana Dane potted the first-half goals for St. John's (4-1-2), while Jailene DeJesus tacked on the insurance marker for the Red Storm. Dane and DeJesus each registered three-point nights and Athina Sofroniou assisted on the first two goals.
Kayla Bower and Malene Nielsen split goalkeeping duties for St. John's, logging two and three saves, respectively.
Senior forward
Laken Gallman scored the lone goal of the match for Cornell (1-2-3). Junior midfielder
Abigail Bishara recorded the lone assist on Gallman's goal, while fellow junior
Natalie Medugno made three saves between the pipes in the setback.
"The first half was a long way short of the standards and expectations this team has set," Cornell women's soccer head coach
Rob Ferguson said. "I think they are aware of that and responded very well in the second half. When this team plays without fear and hesitancy, it's a very good group, but in the first half, we lack the conviction to take the game to the opponent and compete over every blade of grass."
After Medugno was tested with a pair of shot attempts in the opening 10 minutes, St. John's took the lead on a goal scored off a header by Levy on a set piece taken by Sofroniou in the 20th minute.
Three minutes later, a through-ball from St. John's defensive third into its attacking third went between two Cornell defenders as Medugno came outside the penalty area to try and pick the ball up. Tran beat all three Big Red players to the ball, depositing her shot into an open net to double the Red Storm's lead in the 23rd minute.
Bishara set up Gallman's goal after keeping the ball in on the sideline before sending a slow, dribbling ball to Gallman outside of the 18-yard box. After turning to avoid a St. John's defender, Gallman sent a 25-yard strike into the left corner of the goal out of the reach of Bower in the 30th minute.
Gallman's goal snapped St. John's shutout streak at 380:07, handing the Red Storm its first goal conceded since falling to Yale, 1-0, on Aug. 28, when it allowed a ninth-minute tally. It also snapped the Red Storm's home shutout streak at 498:05, becoming the first opponent to score at Belson Stadium since Oct. 12, 2023, when Butler scored at the 70:15 mark of a 3-1 St. John's victory.
St. John's regained its two-goal lead in the 41st minute following a scramble inside the goal area. A cross from the right flank by Madison Mariani deflected off the heel of Molly McGlame inside the goal area and Dane pounced on the loose ball to double the Red Storm lead.
"We thought at 2-nil down, the team certainly stepped it up. Laken scored a wonderful goal, and it felt like if there was going to be another goal in the first half, at that point, it might come our way. Then, a soft goal came at the end of the half at a bad time."
DeJesus increased the Red Storm lead to 4-1 with her 55th-minute tally off a feed from Dane.
"We had some players step up in the second half, which was great to see, including players who haven't played too much yet this season. They came in, took an opportunity, and did really well. We can learn a lot from [tonight] as we look to prepare for the upcoming Ivy League games."
MATCH NOTES
• Thursday was the fifth all-time meeting between the Empire State programs. St. John's increased its lead over Cornell with the triumph, 3-0-2.
• Gallman's first-half goal marked the first Cornell tally against St. John's since Emily Knight registered an 85th-minute goal in the championship game of the 2002 ECAC Tournament, snapping a 324-minute scoreless streak against the Red Storm.
• Freshman midfielder
Ella Koschineg made her first career start on Thursday. Koschineg played 33 minutes and registered one shot on goal.
• Fellow freshmen
Lauren DiPierri and
Jane Offit made their collegiate debuts, logging 30 and 25 minutes of action during the second half.
• Senior defender
Cecily Pokigo had her consecutive minutes streak end at 2909:25 after being subbed out in the 60th minute.
• St. John's owned an 8-7 edge in shot attempts and a 7-6 advantage in shots on goal. Both teams had one corner kick throughout the 90-minute match.
UP NEXT
Cornell will return to action on Sunday when it hosts Villanova (3-4-0) on Berman Field. First touch between the Big Red and Wildcats is scheduled for 1 p.m. Match action will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Sunday's meeting will be the third consecutive year Cornell and Villanova will face each other. Cornell posted a 2-1 victory in the last meeting on Berman Field, highlighted by a game-winning goal scored by then-freshman defender
Gaby Gonzalez. Last year, the teams played to a 1-1 draw at the Higgins Soccer Complex in Villanova, Pa.
