It’s starting to look like nothing can break their stride and nothing can slow them down.
The Saint Louis University women’s soccer team kept moving this weekend in Arizona, picking up a pair of wins on the West Coast.
The Billikens downed the host University of Arizona Wildcats in a 5-1 decision Sunday afternoon following a 1-0 win Friday evening over Idaho State.
“We’re at the point where we can compete with anybody nationally,” said coach Tim Champion. “[This weekend] gave our players a chance to recognize that we are as good or better than any of the West Coast teams.”
Christie Cigno scored the first goal of the game in the 10th minute off an assist from Tressa Pecher, who sent Cigno a pass from 25 yards back before Cigno collided with the Wildcat keeper Amanda Martin. In the struggle, the ball found its way to Cigno’s feet, who easily put the ball in the empty net.
The normally solid Billiken defense gave Arizona their only chance to score in the game fifteen minutes after Cigno’s goal. Arizona’s Lisa Kosena waited unmarked at the top of the box and put a pass from Traci Adler past SLU’s Meghann Burke to tie the score.
In the 33rd minute of the game, Anny Lucier won a deadball and sailed it toward the Arizona net. The ball was deflected off the head of a Wildcat defender and ended up slipping in just over the reach of Martin.
“Having Anny in the back gives us three center backs we can rotate in, and she adds variety in how we play in back,” Champion said. “She gives us another strong presence in the air and she can target long balls very well in the backfield.”
Jamie Perry netted the final goal of the half after she received a pass from Jenny Kehl and launched it towards the goal. The ball bounced off the ground and floated over Martin’s hand to give the Bills a 3-1 advantage at the end of the half.
“Jamie Perry played exceptionally well. Scoring goals is important, but she kept a lot of pressure on their backs and was one of the two best strikers in the tournament, the other was Jenny Kehl,” Champion said.
In the second half, Kehl sparked the offense by winning a ball from a Arizona defender and gunned it in near the far post past the Wildcats’ new goalkeeper, Natalie Juarez.
Perry scored the final goal of the game in the 72nd minute after Ellen Gerweck made a long throw in to the far side where Perry connected on a header to close the game.
Friday night, the Bills blanked Idaho State in the first game of the tournament. Perry scored the lone goal of the game after Kehl found Perry running up the line and fed the ball through to her. Perry challenged ISU’s Shannon Boyle and beat her to slip the ball into the empty net.
Perry was named the tournament MVP for scoring three goals in the weekend, while Burke, Pecher and Mandy Trokey received All-Tournament recognition with Perry.
This weekend, the Bills look to keep their streak going in a pair of C-USA showdowns. Friday, the Bills will play DePaul before returning home to host the conference leader, Marquette.
“We’re half a game behind [Marquette]. Marquette plays a lot like us: they try to keep posession, they are very good defensively and they move the ball well,” Champion said. “We’re going to have to finish well. Jamie Perry, Jenny Kehl, Christie Cigno and Erin Schweyte are all going to have to really finish all of their chances up top.
With consistent offensive execution, the Bills show few signs of being slowed by their C-USA rivals.
