Win-the Final Four awaits.
Lose-the season ends.
The Saint Louis University men’s soccer team is at a crossroads as they prepare to play Stanford in a NCAA quarterfinal match up Friday night in Palo Alto, Calif.
The winner moves on to the College Cup semifinals in Columbus, Ohio, set for Dec. 14-16. The game will be aired on KFNS AM 590, with the contest starting at 9:00 p.m. St. Louis time.
SLU (18-1-0) advanced by knocking off Loyola (Md.) 3-0 in Saturday’s third-round game before 4,026 at Robert R. Hermann Stadium.
Sweeper Marty Tappel tallied the game-winning assist and right back Jason Cole scored his first goal of the season as SLU dismantled Loyola’s well-respected defense. Dipsy Selolwane scored the game-winner with his 25th goal of the year. His 54 points (25 goals, four assists) is tied for fifth all-time on the SLU single-season list.
“They’re a very well-balanced group that has a legitimate shot to win the whole thing, because they are the best team we’ve played this year,” said Loyola coach Mark Mettrick. “They’re a very explosive team with multiple threats.”
Tappel and Cole were two of those threats; they were all over the field for the Billikens. Not only did they help limit the Greyhounds to five shots on goal, but they also added an offensive spark to SLU’s already potent attack.
“One of the keys for us was to get Jason more involved in the attack, so I’m not surprised,” said SLU coach Dan Donigan. “And Marty made some great runs through the middle that really opened up a lot of things for us.”
After consistently getting denied by Greyhound goalkeeper Reb Beatty in the first half, SLU finally put one away in the 54th minute. Tappel brought the ball into the midfield and placed a pass over the back line of the defense to Selolwane. The nation’s leading goal scorer and National Player of the Year candidate ran under it and brought it down with his chest. Beatty came off his line, and Selolwane tucked it under him from eight yards out.
“With my past experience being a midfielder, I felt composed,” said Tappel.
Cole gave the Billikens a two-goal advantage minutes later. After coming forward, Cole originally lost possession trying to cross the ball into the penalty box. The First-Team C-USA player didn’t give up on the play, however.
He used his speed and long strides to catch up with his opponent and his strength to regain control. This time he earned a corner kick. Sophomore sensation Brad Davis then placed a perfect ball into the box, and Cole’s header from four yards out trickled underneath Beatty’s arms.
“Sorber (assistant coach Mike Sorber) has been on me about that run all season long,” said Cole. “He said that if I make that run every time, I will get that ball one time. And today was the day. Brad played a beautiful ball in. I got my head on it, and it squeaked in.”
Both goals were only a small part of Tappel and Cole’s overall contribution. Cole owned the whole right side of the field by disrupting Loyola’s offensive flow and by working well with David Beck on overlap runs.
Tappel remained focused for all 90 minutes. With less than seven minutes remaining, he thwarted a Loyola scoring chance by sliding to corral a Greyhound cross in front of SLU’s goal box.
SLU’s final goal combined luck and perfect execution.
With 14 minutes left in the game, John Politis’ punt soared 70 yards in the air and met the head of a Loyola defender. After deflecting downward, Jack Jewsbury ran onto the ball and pushed it past Beatty from 15 yards out.
“They’re a very good team,” said Beatty. “They deserved the victory.”
A look at Stanford
Stanford advanced to play SLU with a 3-1 win over Portland in the third-round. The Cardinal has home-field advantage for Friday’s game because they have the No. 3 seed, while SLU holds the No. 6 seed. Stanford (18-1-1) is motivated to make up for last season’s disappointing finish. Last year, the Cardinal lost at home to Southern Methodist in a quarterfinal game.
“We have a very deep team in terms of leadership,” said first-year Stanford coach Bret Simon. “We also have good talent across the board, and the team is dedicated to be the best they can be.”
Junior forward Roger Levesque, the Pacific 10 Player of the Year, leads Stanford. He has notched 33 points, on 12 goals and nine assists. Freshman forward Matt Janusz has come on strong in the post-season. He registered his first career hat trick in Stanford’s second-round win over Santa Clara and added a goal in their third-round victory.
Stanford’s only loss and tie came against a tough UCLA team. The Cardinal is riding an 11-game unbeaten streak into Friday’s contest.
Simon came to Stanford from Creighton, and he is an old friend of former SLU coach Bob Warming. (Warming, ironically, is now the coach at Creighton.)
Did Warming give Simon any valuable information on SLU’s team?
“He’s not much help.” Simon said. “He’s too coy for that. We’re good friends, but I didn’t want to be intrusive.”
Either way, Donigan thinks his squad is ready.
“Stanford’s a very good team with some special players,” Donigan said. “But I’m more concerned with getting our guys ready. After last Saturday’s game and this week of practice, I think we’re ready to go.”
Simon said all the right things in his final thoughts: “There are a lot of special players on both teams, so they will write their own script. It’s a shame both programs won’t be heading to the Final Four. Both Stanford and SLU would be good showcases for the sport.”
