With one minute left, Jordan Harris appeared to be alone — on an island with St. John’s Samie Scaffidi. Looking for an equalizer, Scaffidi handled a cross from midfield and edged her way toward the net.

Harris started to gain position and anticipated a shot toward the left corner. But as Harris and the spectators watching at SU Soccer Stadium kept their attention on the one-on-one battle, SU’s Clarke Brown rushed toward Scaffidi.

Fifteen yards from the net, Brown tackled Scaffidi, and the Red Storm forward didn’t get a shot off.

“I didn’t even see Clarke come out of anywhere,” Harris said.

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In shock, Harris let out her biggest yell of the night — one of relief. In a game where St. John’s more than doubled the amount of shots SU took, 9 to 4, the graduate-transfer from Arkansas held her ground with her first career shutout for the Orange. Ultimately, it helped her case in becoming a regular in the net for SU.

“Jordan’s performance is important,” SU head coach Phil Wheddon said, “Not only for the team, but for her as well to maintain her position.”

The Red Storm came out firing. In the first 20 minutes, SU only crossed midfield three times. Wheddon was well aware of St. John’s fast-paced offense, so the Orange started the first quarter of the game in 4-4-2. Even with the extra defensive help, Harris still had a great deal of pressure put on her early.

Despite avoiding a possible own goal off of a Brown header, Harris found herself in trouble when St. John’s Lucy Whipp recovered a lofted pass and snuck past the SU backline. Only 12 minutes into the game, the crowd gasped as Whipp had a chance to take the lead. Harris dove for Whipp’s low roller and missed, but the ball hit the left post.

“I’m always happy when I can avoid a situation like that,” Harris said.

After enduring three early shots, Harris started to settle in after SU’s Kate Hostage put the Orange on the board with a penalty kick. The Red Storm’s opportunities became limited to corner kicks in the final minutes of the first half, but Harris wasn’t fazed. She caught two of Scaffidi’s corners directly and let defenders handle the rest as the 45-minute mark neared.

“I really enjoy playing corners,” Harris said. “If you’re going to put the ball around me, I’m going to get it.”

Even with a lead, SU changed its second half lineup to go on the offensive instead of trying to maintain the lead. By coming out with a 4-2-4 in the second period, Harris could have faced more pressure, but the Orange offense dictated its attack and gave her a slight rest.

But that changed as the clock neared zero. With five minutes remaining, Scaffidi had another opportunity to put St. John’s on the board with a corner. She angled the ball precisely toward the left side of the net, something she had tried and failed to do three times prior. Harris tracked the ball and batted it away from the net immediately. Seconds later, Christine McBeath headed a ball toward a stumbling Harris, who caught the shot.

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With her first career shutout, Harris has only allowed two goals in her first three matches for SU. Wheddon remarked that there was a legitimate three-player competition for the spot, one the graduate-transfer eventually won behind her training performance.

While Wheddon is still open to changes all over the field, Harris’ starting spot will be decided game-by-game, he said, like everyone else’s. But with zero goals allowed, and six saves to her name on Thursday, Harris can count on her most recent performance to help solidify a starting role in the net.

“We have three great goalkeepers and (Harris) has done a great job so far,” Wheddon said. “… It’s kinda your job to lose then.”

Published on August 23, 2018 at 10:02 pm

Contact KJ: kjedelma@syr.edu | @KJEdelman