Already the winningest coach in St. John's women's soccer history, Ian Stone returns for his 14th season as head coach of the Red Storm. One of the BIG EAST's elite and longest-tenured mentors, Stone has again assembled a squad full of both experienced and fresh talent in 2007. In addition to the veteran leadership of an astounding 20 letterwinners returning from last year's team - a squad that won a school-record five conference contests - Stone has added a five-member recruiting class to infuse new talent into the program. After last season's 10-5-4 overall record and quarterfinal appearance in the BIG EAST Tournament, Stone enters his 14th season looking to add to an impressive list of accomplishments that includes the 1994 BIG EAST Championship and 2002 ECAC Championship. A coach that values his team's performance off the field as well, Stone has coached four-straight squads that have earned the Team Academic Award from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). The individual successes of his players have continued as well, and 2006 was no exception, as freshmen Vaila Barsley and Nicole Pasciolla were named to the All-BIG EAST third team. A successful 2005 campaign saw the Red Storm win six games, including the Columbia University tournament title and two contests in the new-look, 16-team BIG EAST Conference, while senior Holly Ryder was named to the All-BIG EAST second team. Stone's tradition of excellence at St. John's reached new heights on October 15, 2004, when his team topped BIG EAST rival Pittsburgh and, in front of his home crowd at Belson Stadium, he reached the 100-win plateau. In his 12 seasons, Stone's teams have been consistently ranked in the Northeast Region by both SoccerBuzz and in the NSCAA regional polls, climbing as high as third in the region in 2003. He now boasts 117 career wins. In 2004, Stone's squad concluded the season with a record-setting fourth-consecutive appearance at the BIG EAST Tournament, after beginning the season with a program-best six-straight wins. In addition, the Red Storm took home two tournament titles with wins at the BAE Systems Army Classic and a win in the championship game of the St. John's Women's Soccer NYC Nike Classic, the first tournament hosted by the Red Storm women's soccer program. That year, 2004, marked the second-straight season that Stone's team topped a nationally ranked opponent, as the Red Storm shut out the Villanova Wildcats, who were ranked No. 18 in the country at the time. Following the season, Natasha Lee was recognized with several postseason awards, including being named to the All-BIG EAST second team, the NSCAA/adidas All-Northeast Regional third team and the SoccerBuzz Magazine Northeast Region second team. Kaitlin Schmidt, now a graduate assistant on Stone's staff, received the Dr. Peter Vitulli Award, given to the St. John's student-athlete who demonstrated the most courage, perseverance, dedication and spirit of self-sacrifice in seeking to attain the highest ideals of sportsmanship. The 2003 season marked was Stone's 10th at the helm of the St. John's women's soccer program, and the team finished 9-9-1 overall and qualified for the BIG EAST Tournament for the third-straight season. On Oct. 12, 2003, the team knocked off nationally ranked Boston College in a 1-0 shutout at Belson Stadium. Two players, Courtney Rett and Schmidt, were named to the 2003 All-BIG EAST second team and the SoccerBuzz Northeast Region third team. In 2002, Stone led his squad to its most successful season since 1994. The Red Storm, with an 11-6-4 record, captured its first-ever ECAC Championship after making its second consecutive appearance in the BIG EAST Tournament. Playing one of its toughest schedules in program history, St. John's posted a 3-1-3 record against NCAA Tournament teams from the previous year. During the season, Stone's strong defensive line registered back-to-back shutouts against Rutgers and Seton Hall followed by a tie at No. 14 Villanova. The Red Storm appeared in the regional rankings throughout the year, reaching as high as No. 3 at one point. In addition to the team accomplishments, Stone's players were awarded with many individual honors. Schmidt was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Year, becoming the first St. John's player to earn a major conference award. The NSCAA and SoccerBuzz also honored Schmidt. Rett received the prestigious honor of being named to the NSCAA/adidas All-Northeast Region First Team. Sophomore Dominica Reina was named to the Verizon All-Academic District I first team and represented St. John's on the Academic All-America ballot. Goalkeeper Tina Fogg received the ECAC Most Valuable Player trophy, while classmate Jen Taylor was a Verizon All-Academic District I third team honoree. That season also marked the opening of the Red Storm's new home, Belson Stadium. The state-of-the-art stadium features a FieldTurf playing surface, seats 2,300 spectators and is situated on a raised platform with parking underneath. In its Belson Stadium debut on Sept. 25, 2002, the Red Storm battled BIG EAST rival Connecticut. Stone earned his first victory at Belson on Oct. 15, 2002, when his team shut out Mid-Atlantic powerhouse Rutgers, 1-0. The Red Storm posted a 6-11-0 overall record, while going 3-3 in BIG EAST Northeast Division conference play during the 2001 season. For the second time in the program's history, the St. John's women's soccer team qualified for the BIG EAST Tournament. The Red Storm fell to nationally ranked and eventual BIG EAST Champion, Notre Dame, 2-0, in a hard fought quarterfinal match. In 2000, St. John's posted a 12-9-0 record and for the second year in a row made it to the finals of the ECAC Tournament. Rett was selected to the BIG EAST All-Rookie team and was named All-Northeast Region by SoccerBuzz Magazine. In 1999, the squad did a tremendous job rebounding from the 1998 campaign to finish with a 10-6-3 record. Stone guided the Red Storm to the University of Maine Black Bear Invitational Tournament title with victories over New Hampshire and Maine. The team also reached the ECAC Tournament final, falling 1-0 to Villanova. SoccerBuzz Magazine named the 1999 squad the fifth-most improved Division I program in the nation and chose Stone as the runner-up for Northeast Region Coach of the Year. In 1994, Stone had an unbelievable inaugural season as the head coach of the Red Storm. He took virtually the same players as the previous year and converted them from a 4-10-1 team to a 14-4-1 team. The 1994 squad also won the program's first-ever BIG EAST Championship, beating the then-No. 3 ranked team in the nation, Connecticut, in the semifinals, and Boston College in the final. Stone's dedication to St. John's Vincentian Mission has been evident throughout his tenure. In 2004, the women's soccer team received the Athletic Department's Community Service Award, which is given to the team which exemplifies the qualities of the Vincentian mission by taking part in activities that extend them beyond their academic and athletic arenas. His teams have participated in countless community service projects over the past 13 seasons, including Breast Cancer Walks, Sandwich Drives and several generous activities. For the past four years, Stone's team has received the NSCAA Team Academic Award for achieving a 3.0 or better GPA. More than half of the student-athletes Stone has coached at St. John's have been named BIG EAST Academic All-Stars and appeared on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll. In 2002, Theresa Bulman was inducted into the President's Society, the most prestigious honor awarded to a St. John's student, and Erin Henderson achieved that honor in 2004. For three straight years, a women's soccer player was awarded the Elizabeth Lapchick Award, presented annually by St. John's University to the male and female student-athletes who improved the most academically during their years. In addition, the Rickard F. McSwiney Award, given to the female student-athlete who `best typifies the St. John's woman,' was presented to women's soccer players following the 2001 and 2002 seasons. Stone is originally from the city of Bristol, in the county of Avon, England. He reached a high level of success in the youth ranks, playing for the nationally renowned Bristol Boys team, which produced many professional Premier League players. Stone then went on to captain his county team and was identified as one of the top 60 schoolboy players in the country. He was affiliated with the local professional club, Bristol Rovers, as a youth player and reached the national semifinal with his team. Stone graduated with honors from the West London Institute of Education (now called Brunel University) in 1990 with a Bachelor of Education in physical education and English. During Stone's collegiate playing career, the team won the British Collegiate Championship three consecutive years, 1986-88. He captained the team his senior year and set the school record for goals scored in a season. While at West London, he also captained the National Collegiate team and played on the reserve team of the Premier League club, Chelsea. Stone comes from an outstanding soccer background, having grown up in a family rich with soccer tradition. His father was an excellent player who was associated with Bristol City as a young player. Stone's father is currently the Somerset County Women's Soccer Chairman and Boys' Youth Team Manager. Stone's first soccer coaching experience in the United States came under the tutelage of Gary Book at the Noga Soccer Camps in Long Island. He began working full-time at Noga in 1991 and continued there for the next five years, until his position at St. John's was upgraded to a full-time appointment in 1996. At Noga, he gained top coaching licenses in the United States Soccer Federation "A" license and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Advanced National Diploma. Stone coached at Herricks High School in Long Island for two seasons. The team won the Nassau County Class A Championship in 1992 and the Nassau County Conference I title in 1993. He is currently an age group coach in the Eastern New York South Girls Olympic Development Program, and a Region I ODP staff coach. In June 2005, he led the Eastern New York South Under-16 girls team to the 2005 U.S. Youth Soccer Region I Championship. In Mid-March 2005, the same team won the 2005 U.S. Youth Soccer ODP National Championship in the Under-15 Division, having won the Region I title a year ago. The team has now won 14-straight games in ODP play in their respective age group. His team also reached the National Final in 2002, before losing in overtime. Stone has recently coached the two-time Region I Champion HBC Magic and the 2002 Region I semifinalist, Rockville Centre Dynamite. He was recently named a Region I Under-17 Girls Assistant Coach for 2006. Also in 2006, he coached the New York City Open Women's Empire State Games team to a bronze medal in Rochester. It was the first time in the 30-year history of the Empire State Games that a NYC Open's Women's Soccer Team has medaled. Stone is currently pursuing a master's degree in student development from the St. John's School of Education.
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