The Houston Cougars are the next opponent on the Saint Louis University women’s soccer schedule.
They probably don’t want to be, though.
“The way were playing now, I don’t care who we have to play,” said women’s coach Tim Champion after Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Conference USA first-place leader North Carolina-Charlotte. “We’ve had a great year.”
The win gave SLU a 13-2-3 overall record and a 7-1-2 mark in C-USA play with one game left, which is against second-place Houston. With a win in that game and a UNCC loss to South Florida, the Billikens can grab their first C-USA title.
The win over UNCC set the school record for most wins in a season, 13, and extended the Bills’ unbeaten streak to nine games, also a school record.
The Bills dominated ball possession in the game and shut down the 49ers’ quickness with relentless defense. UNCC rarely maintained possession in their offensive half, while SLU held onto the ball and looked for Mandy Trokey, Kathy Muschoot and Trisha Underberg making runs behind the 49er defense.
The Bills had an offensive barrage in the first half but failed to score. Thirty seconds into the game, Underberg hit a cross to Muschoot, who shot just high. Nine minutes later, Schager found Underberg flying down the right side. She positioned herself near the far post and fired a tough angle shot just wide of the near post.
The Bills recorded the lone goal seven minutes into the second half. Jenny Kehl broke in and hit a touch pass to Trokey. Trokey fired a shot that bounced off the crossbar twice and rolled to Muschoot. She crossed the ball back to Trokey, who placed a soft shot just inside the far post for the game-winning goal.
“It was a crazy play,” Trokey said. “My first attempt wasn’t successful, but I knew the ball would come back in. I turned the defender around. Kathy surprised me with the pass.”
The Billikens had chances to increase the lead later in the half. Katie Stewart hit a free kick just high over the crossbar. Later, Underberg nailed a shot off the crossbar on a free kick.
Meghann Burke recorded the shutout for the Bills, posting four saves.
Champion was extremely happy with the result of the match.
“But the score doesn’t reflect the way the game was played.” He added, “We could have won 3-0. We played well. We had great ball movement. We deserved to win; we played really well. We thoroughly beat a good team.”
The victory for the Bills on Sunday was the last home match for the seniors. The game was preceded by a ceremony honoring the six seniors: Katie Grellinger, Jill Partridge, Amy Schmidt, Houston, Stewart and Underberg. The seniors had varying thoughts and emotions about their last home game.
Houston said, “I had mixed emotions. I am happy I made it this far but sad it’s over. It was a great four years. It was a poignant moment.”
Stewart said, “You run through all the emotions-you’re happy, then you cry. I didn’t even think about the game until right before it started. We played really well.”
Partridge added, “It was a great way to finish here. The team played well. What more could you ask for?”
Underberg said, “It is unbelievable. We played great. It was a good, hard game. It’s something we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.”
On Friday, the Bills took on the South Florida Bulls. The Bulls were in third place at the time, and were hoping to gain on Houston with a win over SLU. But SLU was equally hungry as a win would bump the Bills into third place.
SLU opened the scoring early, taking the lead six minutes into the game. Kathleen Schager hit a great lead pass to Underberg. Underberg beat USF goalie Jennifer Howell inside the near post with a strong left-footed shot from 18 yards out.
The Billikens added to their lead in the 18th minute. Underberg led Kathy Musschoot perfectly, creating a breakaway opportunity. Muschoot beat Howell low inside the far post from five yards away.
The Bills continued their strong play throughout the first half and had many scoring chances. Kelly Young hit the near post with 15 minutes left in the first half. Sara Swindle gathered the rebound and hit a strong shot just wide of the far post.
The Bills controlled the game with strong defense.
SLU continued to play tight defense, holding South Florida to two shots in the first half and six shots overall. SLU won the match 2-0.
Holly Houston and Kelly Young helped shut down the Bulls’ offensive attack.
“(Siri Nordby) is a strong midfielder,” Houston said. “We wanted to shut her down. We didn’t let down in the back. It was a big game. We needed to win the next three to win the conference.”
Burke added, “The defense was great as usual. They played a nearly flawless game.”
The Billikens take on Houston on Friday in Texas. The Cougars hold a 10-6-1 overall record and a 8-1-1 mark in the conference. If they win against SLU, they win the C-USA championship.
Next Wednesday the Bills play in the C-USA Tournament versus an undetermined opponent. The tournament continues through Saturday, Nov. 6.
