Thanks to three wins in the last week, the Saint Louis University men’s soccer team has improved to 7-0, and just as impressive, No. 2 in collegesoccer.com’s media poll. It’s the Billikens’ best start since the 1983 season.
“They were three great results, two of which came in Conference USA,” said SLU head coach Dan Donigan. “We’re starting to put together some strong games, and we came away with no injuries.”
After defeating Southwest Missouri State 2-1 last Wednesday, SLU dominated Texas Christian University 4-0 on Saturday, before a Homecoming crowd of 4,088 at Robert R. Hermann Stadium. SLU also defeated DePaul 3-0 yesterday in Chicago.
Against TCU, the Billikens outshot the Horned Frogs 9-3 in the first half. However, the game remained scoreless until SLU got on the board when Hermann Trophy candidate Brad Davis recorded the game-winner in the 53rd minute.
The sophomore ran down a long pass from senior defender Marty Tappel, held off two defenders and rocketed a perfectly placed ball into the side netting.
In the 71st minute, Jack Jewsbury took advantage of a TCU defensive lapse. Jewsbury unselfishly fed Dipsy Selolwane, who put it away from 12 yards out. Four minutes later, Jewsbury got his due. He put the game out of reach after a nice run by senior midfielder David Beck along the top of the penalty box. Beck dropped the ball off to Jewsbury, who converted from eight yards out.
The game marked Jewsbury’s second of the year, and first home appearance, following a preseason foot laceration. His return adds another element to SLU’s already versatile attack.
“To have one of our top guys back in the lineup gives us a psychological edge,” Donigan said. “Not only is Jackie a great talent, but he’s also one of the hardest workers on our team.”
Jewsbury nabbed C-USA’s Player of the Year honors last season before being selected preseason All-America this year.
Junior Nick Walls closed off the scoring in the 82nd minute, utilizing his speed to track down a long ball from Davis and get past a defender to knock it in from 10 yards out. Overall, SLU out-shot TCU 21-6. Earlier in the week, TCU lost to No. 1 ranked Southern Methodist 3-1. Right now, SLU has shown few signs of weakness.
“Opposing coaches have said that we’re difficult to play against because we’re so unpredictable. We’re constantly changing things up,” Donigan said. “We have so many weapons all over the field that it’s hard to pinpoint any one player to stop.”
After stomping TCU Saturday, the show went on the road as the Billikens took on the Blue Demons in Chicago yesterday. It’s safe to say that no one wished to play at Wish Field.
Half of the surface was unkempt, and the other half overlapped DePaul’s softball field. The field was also much narrower than usual, and the windy conditions off Lake Michigan posed an inconvenience.
Nonetheless, SLU exorcized the tough, physical DePaul (0-7-1, 0-2-1 in C-USA) team by starting the scoring early.
Beck got the Bills on the board in the tenth minute when he nailed a one-timer from 18 yards out off a service from Chicago native Mike Hill. Less than two minutes later, junior defender Mike Kirchhoff scored on a volley off a Davis corner kick.
Dipsy finished the scoring in the onslaught in the 65th minute when he spun off a DePaul defender and beat the goalie from 10 yards.
Dipsy extended his goal-scoring streak to seven games. The senior from Botswana is C-USA’s leading scorer, with 19 points, on nine goals and one assist.
Despite DePaul’s poor record, Donigan felt lucky to escape with a win; SLU has had problems the last two times in Chicago. In 1998, SLU won 3-2 in overtime. In 1999, SLU left with a 2-1 triumph.
SLU returns home to play Saturday at 7:00 p.m. when the Memphis (2-4-2, 1-1-1 in C-USA) Tigers come to the cozy confines of Robert R.Hermann Stadium.
