Pirates sink the Johnnies in a Red Storm over New Jersey

History is on the Johnnie’s side when it comes to these two clubs, to say SJU has dominated this rivalry would be an understatement, to say the least. SJU enters the match having dropped their first two Big East matches of the year to Georgetown and then a heartbreaker to UCONN.

Ian Stone’s side hoped to change the course of the ship this season with a statement win over Seton Hall. Instead, he saw his team yet again go down early in the match this time just 4:51 into the frame. Natalie Tavana was the one player they didn’t want to give space to, and she found it and punished the away side. The goal was assisted by Phoebe Hampson and Skyler Matusz.

The early goal was all the Pirates of Seton Hall needed to beat the superior Red Storm side with a roster that sends chills into spines. For some reason since beating Harvard the Johnnies look off, they’re playing timid scared soccer and that is not a recipe for success. The team was ranked third in the Big East in the preseason coaches poll, yet they’re playing like a bottom-tier team as of late and that is not something you see out of an Ian Stone team.

Let me be clear this isn’t a hit piece on the coaching staff in any way, Ian is one of the best coaches in women’s soccer. He brought in Rachael Daly of the England National team to his program and many other elite players over the years including on this roster. The team is without leader Ava Collins who brings a certain fire and tenacity to this team. However, her absence is no excuse for the play we’ve seen from this side. They have the talent but are lacking major confidence, losing second balls, loose balls, easy passes, etc. The number of unforced errors in the first three Big East matches is astounding. This team is filled with veteran collegiate players and talented in many areas of the game.

Is it a situation of eating up the hype and getting served humble pie? Possibly but this team should be too good for such an easy trap. Next up for St Johns is Villanova a team that will not roll over for them and play dead. I fully expect after the lack of effort in the Seton Hall game to see Ian and his staff have these players focused and ready to go for the kill. They need that early lead and stop playing from behind. The Big East is not a conference that sees many comebacks due to the skill level. It will be up to players like Jessica Garziano and Jordyn Levy to take the reins and guide this team to a much-needed win if they want any shot at the Big East Tournament. They will need the support of the school behind them this Sunday, October 1st at Belson Stadium. The match starts at 1 p.m.