A 1-0 victory was not the only outcome last Saturday night when the Saint Louis University men’s soccer team defeated the defending national championships.

Confidence was perhaps the most important result of the Billikens’ defeat of the University of Connecticut Huskies.

“It was a very physical game. When you have two great, competitive teams, it’s going to get that way,” said first-year coach Dan Donigan.

” The game got a little heated and that just showed that both teams were playing to win. To be the team that came out on top was a real confidence boost,” said Donigan.

Thanks to airtight defense and an impressive debut from newcomer Dipsy Selolwane, the Billikens knocked off the Huskies before a crowd of 4,106 in their only exhibition match before the start of the regular season.

Selolwane, a transfer from nearby Harris-Stowe State University, scored the game’s lone goal in the

seventeenth minute. Selolwane used his head from about 10 yards out to punch Brad Davis’ free kick into the back of the net.

Dipsy’s instant contribution with the Billikens impressed Donigan and should prove to lighten the load for junior standout, Jackie Jewsbury.

“Dipsy is a special player. He has made some big goals in his career. He lived up to that reputation with his header on Saturday. His presence will take a big load off Jackie as the primary goal scorer on our team,” Donigan said.

The confidence factor was perhaps felt more on the defensive side of the ball as the Billikens shut down the Huskies, who dominated the scoreboards just a year ago.

Senior goalkeeper John Politis shut out the Huskies for 90 minutes. But according to Donigan, there was no sole hero on Saturday night at Robert R. Hermann Stadium.

“There was nothing I was upset with. Most of our team played above what was expected of them. As a whole, the team played well defensively,” Donigan said. “UConn has a great offense, and we shut them down well as a team. All of our guys performed well. It wasn’t just the play of our three backs.”

Junior back, Jason Cole did standout in the match against the Huskies. Cole was given the duty of marking Uconn’s explosive junior forward, Damani Ralph.

“Jason was given a big assignment, and he did a great job with it. He has really progressed his game,” Donigan said. “He just gets better and better. He was forced to guard a key guy like Damani Ralph, and he accepted his assignment and did it well.”

But Cole, like Donigan, credited the confidence-boosting victory to a team effort on both sides of the ball.

“They are good team. We knew that coming in, so we knew we had to play at out top level of soccer,” said Cole.

The Billikens are full of confidence after the victory over the Huskies.

Both Donigan and Cole believe the confidence gained from Saturday will give them an added edge going into the regular season schedule.

“It’s a huge boost going into the regular season after this win. People will see that we beat the defending champions 1-0. That really sends a message to the nation that we are for real,” Cole said.

Donigan had similar words to describe the effects of the victory.

“It was a great result. We did some really good things that I am happy with. We still have some things to fine tune. But it was great to play a real, full exhibition. It leaves us very happy going into our home opener. It gave us some confidence to start the season with,” Donigan said.

The Billikens were relentless on offense versus the Huskies. About a minute after Dipsy’s goal, he nearly struck again.

Husky goalkeeper Bryheem Hancock made an impressive diving stop.

Sophomore midfielder, Andy Pusateri, almost scored on a follow up to Dipsy’s attempt on goal.

In the game’s 24th minute, the Huskies gave the Billikens some pressure.

Junior back Will Thornton’s shot hit the sidebar and deflected into the head of senior forward, David Castellanos.

The shot went wide left and Uconn’s first scoring chance was spoiled.

The Billikens held tight for the rest of the game to hold the defending champs scoreless. The shutout victory was certainly an impressive one, even if it was considered an exhibition match.

Donigan was happy with his victorious debut as the Billikens, head coach.

“It was a good feeling to have my first victory at SLU,” Donigan said. “We had good fan support, especially from the student body. It was encouraging to get our first victory over UConn. It was great.”

The Bills kickoff their season with their home opener on Saturday evening at 7 p.m.

The Billikens, ranked 13th in Soccer America’s preseason poll, will face Eastern Illinois at Hermann Stadium.

Although Eastern Illinois is unranked, the Bills are determined not to take their opponent lightly. Especially because Eastern Illinois is led by the NCAA’s leading goal scorer, Jason Thompson.

“After coming off an emotional game against a team like UConn we must be ready to play right off the bat,” Donigan said. “We have to play our game out there. We have to avoid a let-down and we are preparing not to have that happen. Our guys have responded well. Our goal is to improve on the last outing throughout the season.”

Cole is looking forward to playing Eastern Illinois for the first time.

“I don’t know much about them. But that doesn’t mean anything,” Cole said. “We have to play just as hard as if we were playing the number one team in the nation again. We have to keep up the same intensity all season long.”