By Joseph Staszewski
Rachel Daly and Georgia Kearney-Perry have won plenty of individual awards during their women’s soccer careers at St. John’s. Despite all of their personal achievements, however, this season will be their last chance to earn the team hardware—a Big East tournament title—and make their time in Queens complete.
“I don’t think personally a word can describe the euphoria I will feel finally getting that trophy,” Kearney-Perry said.
There is a special type of excitement that runs through the English duo just thinking about it.
“The goose bumps that I just got right now,” Daly said, “my whole body has goose bumps.”
They and St. John’s aren’t the only ones who believe the program’s first Big East title is within reach. The Red Storm was voted atop the conference’s preseason poll last week in a tie with DePaul. They also swept the preseason awards.
Daly, a senior who plays forward, earned co-player of the year honors, along with Providence forward Catherine Zimmerman. She is also within striking distance of the St. John’s career records for goals, points and shots.
Kearney-Perry, a graduate student, was named defensive player of the year and junior Diana Poulin was picked as the preseason goalkeeper of the year. Over the past two seasons, St. John’s has racked up a 23-13-5 overall record, and has gone 10-5-3 in conference play.
Daley took the team’s accolades as a sign of respect from the conference’s coaches, even after the Red Storm placed fourth the last two seasons and lost in consecutive semifinals. It only further positively reinforces expectations around a program that reached the NCAA tournament two years ago.
“I think that is the type of pressure our team needs,” Daly said. “We have always been the underdogs. Now to be the ones on top you have to step your game up.”
Red Storm Coach Ian Stone said he believes that Daly and Kearney-Perry’s presence, along with that of midfielders Emily Cubbage and Shelby Halasz, will help his club handle the bulls-eye that has been placed on it. He is also interested in seeing how this driven group, with its focus on winning, handles adversity, starting with its season opener at Stony Brook Aug. 21.
“We talk about how important it is we do the right thing and get the right message across that we are going to win this championship,” Daly said.
Stone gave Daly and Kearney-Perry a chance to show their championship potential the first day of preseason. They went one-on-one against each other. It pushes the two of them to continue to set a high standard for themselves and the rest of the roster.
The duo, which has known each other for six years, brings out the best in each other because each took a trait from the other. Kearney-Perry taught Daly how to be a better leader and the way Daly carries herself gave Kearney-Perry a new level of confidence.
They have talked about the importance of this season since last spring, with the frequency increasing. It went from once a week to every hour to every minute. The reality that this is their last chance at a conference title, with what is arguably their best team, hits them at random moments.
“It will make those summers and the little sacrifices you make over the course of your life, like not going out to parties because you have practice, it will make all of that worthwhile,” Kearney-Perry said.
That’s because not only will they get to celebrate another award and hopefully hoist a team trophy, but their teammates will earn it with them.
“They have achieved so much individually, but they still feel that not all those goals have been accomplished because the team hasn’t won a Big East championship,” Stone said.
Meeting that goal is the only way for them to go out.
