The little things really are important-just ask the Saint Louis University women’s soccer team. After adding a third forward to the starting lineup three weeks ago, the Billikens offense has shown notable changes, producing quality chances and a Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week.
SLU tied Charlotte 2-2 and lost to East Carolina 3-2 in double overtime two weeks ago. But the Billikens rebounded to defeat Marquette 1-0 in Milwaukee and throttled DePaul 6-0 at Robert. R. Hermann Stadium last weekend. The Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Billikens 3-0 Tuesday night in Lawrence, Kan.
The Billikens’ new offense showed how explosive it can be at Charlotte. SLU was up 2-0 just 25 minutes into the match.
Freshman forward Jamie Perry got SLU on the board first in the 23rd minute. After a SLU corner, freshman midfielder Tressa Pecher gained possession after the 49ers tried to clear the ball. Pecher found Perry on the left side all alone. She hit a drive across the face of the goal that went just inside the far post.
Sophomore forward Anny Lucier gave SLU a 2-0 lead two minutes later on a 30-yard arc over the keeper off a pass from junior forward Erin Schwetye.
The 49ers came back with four minutes left in the first half. Christy Johnson broke in and took a shot right-on junior keeper Meghann Burke. The shot was stopped, but Johnson scored on the rebound.
Charlotte tied the match in the 55th minute. Abbie Allison found Megan Terlip on the left side.
Terlip took a shot from just inside the box that somehow made it under the diving Burke.
“It was a good game for us,” said coach Tim Champion. “It was a back-and-forth struggle. We played well in the first half. We were in their end the entire half.”
The Billikens played their second double-overtime match in three days in a 3-2 loss to ECU. Junior forward Jenny Kehl scored first for SLU. Junior back Megan McNiff hit a long pass from behind midfield and found Kehl racing toward the box. She took a shot that ECU goalie Leigh Steigerwald was able to get a piece of but couldn’t stop. Both followed the ball to the goal line, where Kehl nudged in the first goal.
ECU tied the contest with 13 minutes left in the first half. Amanda Duffy took a pass from Megan Stickler just inside the box. She made Burke commit before taking the shot and scoring. ECU took the lead eight minutes into the second half off a throw-in. Jennifer Leonard threw into Kelly Gray, who found Stickler on the near side. Stickler’s shot hit the far post and bounced in for a 2-1 lead.
Perry tied the game again in the 74th minute. Kehl found Perry in the middle of the field. Perry lifted a shot into the upper left corner, to tie the contest.
ECU scored the game-winner in the second overtime. ECU had most of the team in the box. Leonard lifted the ball into the box, where Gray headed home the winner.
“It was our second double-overtime on the weekend. We were just worn out,” Champion said. “We were tired from the Charlotte game on Friday. We also played on a small field. Had it been a bigger field, we would have done better.”
SLU then entered one of its biggest weekends of the season.
“We knew that we had to win both games in order to make the conference tournament,” Champion said.
SLU faced Marquette, the second place team in C-USA, last Friday in Milwaukee. The Billikens prevailed 1-0.
Schwetye scored three minutes into the game. Schwetye took a corner and bent the shot on goal in the upper corner. Keeper Ashleigh Koenig got a hand on the ball but deflected the shot in goal.
“We scored early and played the way we did last year,” Champion said. “There was a 25 mile-an-hour wind. We dominated the first half, while they dominated the second. We didn’t give them any solid scoring chances. We scored one in the first half and could have had three.”
SLU then thrashed DePaul 6-0 last Sunday.
The Billikens scored 14 minutes into the contest. Junior Mandy Trokey had the ball on the left side and hit it into the box. Lucier ran onto the ball as keeper Lauren Geiger came out to play it. The two collided, but Lucier was able to hit the ball past Geiger. The ball slowly rolled into the goal inside the right post.
Perry scored next in the 33rd minute. Pecher hit a deadball from SLU’s backfield ahead to Kehl. Kehl then flicked the ball up to Perry in the middle of the box. Perry scored from four yards out. Senior Ismahan Mohsen scored the third goal. McNiff played the ball to Mohsen on the right side. She maneuvered through two defenders and beat Geiger with a low shot.
SLU scored the final three goals in the second half’s first six minutes. Schwetye scored on a tough angle shot. She beat a defender and bent the shot around Geiger for the goal. Carrie Carlson gave SLU a 5-0 lead in the 50th minute. Kehl had the ball in middle of the field and found Carlson racing up the right side. Carlson nailed a shot into the upper left corner. Shannon Myers scored the last goal of the game. Kehl hit a pass back to Myers at the top of the penalty area. Myers fired a shot off the pass to the left side of the net.
“It was a good game for us,” Champion said. “We created a lot of chances and were able to capitalize on them.”
For their efforts last weekend, Schwetye and Burke received conference honors. Schwetye was named C-USA Offensive Player of the Week. She scored two goals in as many games and is third on the team with nine points on three goals and three assists.
Burke was named C-USA Defensive Player of the Week. She recorded five saves in the shutout victory over Marquette and helped organize the defense to hold DePaul to two shots, with only one on goal. It was the first time in the program’s history that SLU swept the week’s awards.
The Billikens played Kansas Tuesday. The Jayhawks scored on three deadballs. The first goal came off a corner. Hilla Rantala collected the ball at the right corner of the box and put a shot on goal. The ball was headed out by SLU, but Brianna Valento headed it into the net.
Valento struck again. Rantala took a free kick and lifted the ball to Valento who headed it inside the post five minutes into the second half. Valento completed the hat trick on nearly the same play. Valento angled a shot inside the post.
The Billikens (8-8-1 overall and 5-4-1 in C-USA) wrap-up the regular season at home against Wisconsin on Sunday, Nov. 4 at 1 p.m.
Before the game, SLU will honor its four seniors, Mohsen, Beth Moberg, Melissa Gossman and Katie McDonnell.
