Every college soccer program experiences player turnover, but few teams were hit as hard by player turnover last year as the St. John’s women’s soccer team.
A majority of last season’s graduates and graduate students were instrumental in the 2021 team advancing to the Round of 16 for the first time in program history. Players like Nicole Gordon, Frederique Saint-Jean, Ava Collins, Isabelle Aviza and Katherine Turner provided consistent quality and laid the foundation for the program’s most successful period since the days of Rachel Daly.
However, no departing player was as influential as Jessica Garziano, who leaves Queens as a true program legend. Among countless accolades, Garziano was selected to the 2023 All-American Second Team by the United Soccer Coaches, was one of three St. John’s players to ever make an All-Big East team four times, the first St. John’s player to ever reach double-digit goals and assists in a single season, and the player with the most assists in St. John’s women’s soccer history.
The 2023 team was on the verge of reaching the NCAA Tournament, finishing with a record of 10-6-3 (WLD) and a solid conference record of 5-4-1.
Now the program is entering a new era. Twelve newcomers and three transfers joined the team this season, and several players who played sparingly last season will play a larger role in 2024.
Longtime head coach Ian Stone is no stranger to roster restructuring. He begins his 31st season as coach of the Red Storm on Sunday afternoon when St. John’s takes on Colgate at Belson Stadium (1 p.m., FloSports). He’s confident in the talent coming to Queens, but acknowledges that managing a revamped roster never gets easier.
“Consistency is day-to-day,” Stone Rumble said in a phone interview, referring to the team’s practice performance. “We have a lot of talent and we’ve recruited the right people, but the hard part is getting them to come together as a team, considering we’ve lost some outstanding players and really strong leaders to graduation.”
Stone believes in the talent on this team, but the same can’t be said for other coaches in the league. Last week, the Big East released the preseason women’s soccer coaches poll. The league’s coaches picked St. John’s to finish sixth in the conference, with no first-place votes, and no players were named to the preseason all-conference team.
“I don’t think people recognize or respect the players that come to us. There were a lot of current sophomores that had really strong seasons last year in the spring,” Stone said. “This is a very, very strong and athletic group that has come back really fit. I’m obviously conscious of the fact that we’re young and inexperienced, but if we can get that under control, we’re going to shock a few people that have ranked us lower.”
Forward
If there’s an X-factor on this newly formed St. John’s team, it’s the Red Storm’s leading returning scorer, senior Lauryn Tran. The Calgary native was one of the league’s best playmakers last season, scoring four goals and dishing out six assists. She ranked second among Big East players in the latter category last season. During summer practice, she appears to be adding another scoring dimension to her game.
“Lauryn is playing the best soccer I’ve ever seen her play at the moment. We played an intra-team game on Thursday and she hit this 20-yard, left-footed shot into the top corner,” Stone said of Tran. “I’ve never seen anything like it from here. She’s always been a great provider for us and now I’m looking forward to her being a great finisher as well.”
Jordyn Levy, who came over from Indiana last season, was one of the players who was more of a backup than a main player, coming off the bench in nine of 19 games last season. The former Indiana transfer still made her presence felt, finishing second on the team in goals with four. Ian Stone sees a clear improvement in Levy and believes she can become a focal point in the attack in 2024.
“(Levy) is the type of player that enjoys this opportunity because she wants to be in front of the net and score goals and assists,” Stone said.
Rockville Centre freshman Nora Basile made a strong impression on Ian Stone during training camp and is expected to contribute immediately.
“A pretty complete striker, plays well with her back to goal, good speed, good creativity, good passing, good finishers, really good in the air. (Basile) could even start on Sunday,” Stone said.
midfield
Emily Riggins is a player Ian Stone calls a Swiss Army knife. Name a position on the field and she could easily play it. Stone said the only other player as versatile position-wise as Riggins was none other than Rachel Daly.
“(Emily) brings the energy; she has one of the highest fitness test scores on the team,” Stone said. “I would see Emily as a box-to-box midfielder who can win balls in the air but can also distribute well and go forward in attack.”
Riggins started 10 times in 18 games for the Red Storm last season, had two assists and played a career-high 1,016 minutes. Last April, Victor Olorunfemi of TopDrawerSoccer.com named Riggins as a candidate for the 2024 Women’s Big East Breakout.
Jailene De Jesus is another senior leader returning this season. Last year, De Jesus scored two goals – both game-winning – and two assists, starting 14 of the 19 games she played. This winter, De Jesus scored two goals in as many appearances for the Puerto Rican women’s national soccer team at the 2024 CONCACAF Women’s Gold Gup.
“She is one of our key playmakers and has improved her ability to play with both feet,” Stone said of De Jesus. “She has a good vision of the pitch, can make great passes and can unexpectedly appear in the box in attack and score a goal.”
defense
After the team lost a small army of experienced leaders, Stone is grateful for the culture-shaping leadership of veteran midfielder Athina Sofroniou.
“(Athina) was a rock star when it came to bringing the team together,” Stone said of Sofroniou. “If we’re integrated by Sunday, it’s thanks to more than anyone else.”
The Dix Hill native started all 19 games for the Red Storm last season, logging 1,553 minutes of play and becoming the first St. John’s player to win Big East Defensive Player of the Week honors since Jesse Schaefer in 2017. Sofroniou is very good at organizing from the back and playing with the ball at her feet as a center back. Stone said he hopes to use Sofroniou in the midfield.
Young centre-back Freya Meadows-Tuson is expected to start alongside Sofroniou in central defence. The Reading native played for her hometown club Reading FC in the Women’s Championship, the second tier of English women’s football, before moving to Maidenhead United for a short time last January.
Sophomores Reese Dunaway and Abby Fitzmaurice are expected to have larger roles at the fullback position.
Nicole Multer is the only player on this year’s roster who is in her fifth season with the Red Storm. Last season, Multer started 12 games and appeared in all 19 games for St. John’s. She played a full 90 minutes in five straight games in October.
“(Multer) is, as far as everyone respects, more of a quiet leader type,” Stone said. “She brings a lot of experience and experienced leadership.”
Multer is dealing with a knee injury and will likely be out of the starting lineup, but will be available for Sunday’s game against Colgate.
goalkeeper
After Maria O’Sullivan guarded the Red Storm’s penalty box for all but one game last season, there will be a new goalkeeper in 2024. Malene Nielsen, who transferred from Louisville, is expected to become the Red Storm’s number one goalkeeper.
The Danish international has made just one appearance for the Cardinals, stopping two shots and allowing a goal against Dayton last season. This lack of playing time looks alarming, but should not be an indicator of future performances. Former St. John’s goalkeeper Gina Muzi played just nine minutes in the 2021 fall season, then started every game in the 2022 season and kept seven clean sheets.
Nielsen played her first two collegiate seasons at Fairleigh Dickinson, starting 41 games for the Knights. She won the NEC Goalkeeper of the Year award her freshman year and was named to the First Team All-NEC.
