In overtime and needing a goal to advance, St. John's forward Lena Yee got the ball one-on-one with Virginia goalkeeper Chantel Jones.
Jones made a save, but the ball rebounded, and Jones had to make a diving save, again deflecting the ball, but allowing defender Amanda Fancher to clear the ball out.
"They got my back," Jones said of her defenders.
The Cavaliers tied St. John's Friday night at Jeffrey Field in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but advanced on penalty kicks 3-1. Virginia tallied a season high 39 shots, putting 11 on frame.
Freshman midfielder Julia Roberts had two shots and scored the first goal during the penalty kicks. Roberts wanted to make sure she got her team off to a good start with the game on the line.
"I just tried to set the tone, try to get us off to a good start," Roberts said. "Everyone else did their job. Chan [Jones] did her job so it worked out."
With the draw, Jones now has a six-game shutout streak, with 581 minutes of scoreless play, the fourth-longest streak in school history. The sophomore keeper credits her backline for allowing her to keep the streak going.
"My biggest mindset is just keep us in the game, keep the ball out of the net, do everything I can to keep us in it," Jones said. "Our backline has really come together. I've been trying to mold them the whole year and they're finally getting the hang of it so they help me a lot."
St. John's came into the game with 15 seniors on its roster, and it was the first ever NCAA bid for the Red Storm. Coach Ian Stone said he was immensely proud of his team for everything they had accomplished during the season.
Red Storm goalkeeper Kristin Russell kept her team in the game, making 10 saves in the contest. Stone and senior defender Nicole Doran both praised Russell's play and steadiness in net.
"As a defender, it's so reassuring to have someone like that behind you," Doran said.
Roberts said the space St. John's left in the midfield allowed Virginia the opportunities it had. With so many chances, the freshman said the key would be to start finishing them if they want to continue on in the tournament.
Having played 110 minutes, Jones said the Cavaliers will have to use Saturday to recover and prepare for Sunday's match with Penn State. Both coaches said it was a well-played game, and Virginia coach Steve Swanson said it's always tough to see a team bow out on penalty kicks.
"Soccer can be a cruel game sometimes and the final score doesn't show the story of the game," Swanson said. "The sport at this level has evolved where every game in this tournament you are going to have to grind out a result. We did that today and are moving on."
