CINCINNATI, Ohio – The St. John’s University women will take on second-seeded Georgetown University Sunday afternoon in the Big East final and an automatic berth in the NCAA Division I tournament.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Corcoran Field. The match between the Johnnies (12-5-2, 6-3-1) and the Hoyas (12-1-6, 7-1-2) will be aired on FS1.
With its 1-0 semifinal win over Xavier University Thursday, the Red Storm earned its second berth in the conference final, and the program’s first since 1994. That season, the Johnnies defeated Boston College.
St. John’s is on a roll with six consecutive wins. If the Johnnies prevail Sunday, they will tie for the program’s longest winning streak with seven consecutive victories, set by the 2015 squad.
In Thursday’s semifinal, Big East offensive player of the year Zsani Kajan broke the scoreless deadlock, converting on the game-winning goal in the 61st minute. The goal was Kajan’s 17th of the season and the 45th of her Red Storm career. She also hit 100 career points. The Budapest, Hungary, native became the second player in program history to record 100 career points, joining the Johnnies’ all-time leading scorer Rachel Daly (111 points). Sophomore forward Ava Collins picked up an assist for her third this season.
Redshirt junior and goalkeeper Naya Lipkens recorded her ninth solo shutout of the season. The Bloomfield, Conn. native made five saves. Lipkens has a 0.87 goals-against average and a 0.819 save percentage.
The Hoyas scored a pair of second-half goals in a 2-1 victory over Butler University Thursday to punch their ticket to the title game for the sixth straight year and eighth time overall.
Eliza Turner and Kaitlyn Parcell scored their first goals in a Georgetown uniform, coming in the 60th and 66th minutes, respectively. Georgetown outshot Butler, 14-7, and held a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks. Goalkeeper Allie Augur made one save.
Georgetown is led by All-Big East first team selection Gia Vicari, who has recorded nine goals and seven assists for a team-high 25 points. Augur, a second team all-conference honoree, has started every game, posting a 0.44 GAA and a 0.842 save percentage.
