Rough Rider Jess Garziano Sets St. John’s Assist Record

Written by Michael Lewis

Garziano, who recently completed a standout season with the Long Island Rough Riders women’s team, has been on fire for the St.John’s Red Storm (6-4-2).

Garziano was crucial in the Rough Rider’s midfield this summer, contributing 6 goals and 4 assists on the season.

She was named as the Big East Offensive player of the week on Sept. 18 after the graduate student became the program’s all-time assist leader with 28. Garziano set up the game-winning goal in a 4-3 win over Harvard University on Sept. 17.

Garziano surpassed Jamie Clark, who held the program’s assist record 23 years after recording 27 from 1997-2000.

Through games of Thursday, Sept. 28, Garziano has accumulated an impressive seven goals and six assists. She is on an eight-game point streak. The lone match in which she failed to pick up a point was in a scoreless draw at Navy on Aug. 20.

It should be noted that the one-time Half Hollow Hills East High School soccer standout recorded two goals in the Johnnies’ 3-0 season-opening win at Fairleigh Dickinson University on Aug. 17.

After the Navy match, Garziano continued her magic.

She started it with a one-goal, one-assist performance in a 3-0 win at Colgate University on Aug. 27. She tallied the lone goal in a 1-0 home victory over the University of Pennsylvania on Aug. 31. Garziano set up a goal in a 2-1 win at Central Connecticut State University on Sept. 4, before getting back into the goal-scoring column with one in a 4-2 defeat to Lehigh University five days later.

The 5-7 Garziano recorded an assist in a 2-2 home draw with Yale University on Sept. 14. Then the Melville, N.Y. native produced her finest game of the season by registering two goals and setting up a third in a 4-3 triumph over Harvard University at home on Sept. 17. She wasn’t quite finished, securing goals in a 3-1 loss to Georgetown University on Sept. 21 and another in a 2-1 setback at the University of Connecticut on Sept. 24.

With her assist in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Villanova, Garziano now totals 29 career assits.