Saint Louis University alumni came out in droves on Saturday
night, and the Billikens thanked them with a win over Conference
USA rival University of Alabama-Birmingham.
Playing before a crowd of 4,593, the Bills (6-4-1, 3-1-1 C-USA)
scored two first-half goals and held on for a 2-1 win over the No.
24 Blazers (6-4-0, 3-1-0 C-USA).
The Blazers came out and grabbed an early lead, scoring the
game’s first goal in the 15th minute. UAB junior Leandro de
Oliveira struck first for the Blazers, tallying a goal on a counter
attack. The goal marked the third consecutive game in which SLU was
scored on before they could put a goal on the scoreboard.
SLU answered seven minutes later, when sophomore Alex Matteson
tackled the ball away from UAB senior Jarbas Carlos and to the feet
of junior Ryan Wileman. Wileman collected the ball and launched a
16-yard shot that beat UAB junior keeper A.J. Robles for his fifth
goal of the season.
The Billiken attack continued to pressure the UAB back line.
Robles parried a 20-yard shot from Matteson over the bar in the
25th minute, and defender Robert Sheringham cleared a chip shot off
of the goal line from sophomore Will John in the 28th minute.
It was a save attempt by Robles, however, that set up the second
Billiken goal.
Freshman Tim Ward made a run deep into the Blazers’ penalty area
but was tripped by Robles on a diving save attempt. Ward went down,
earning a penalty kick for the Bills.
John fired the kick on net, but it was blocked by Robles and
flew into the top left corner of the UAB penalty area.
Wileman volleyed the rebound into the back of the net, scoring
his second goal of the game on a bicycle kick. John was credited
with an assist on the goal.
“When the first goal went in, I was like, ‘This is going to be a
good game,'” Wileman said.
“I set up to the left side because I know that Will [John]
usually likes to go to the keeper’s right. I had a premonition that
if he saves this, it’s going to come to me. I think I was more
surprised than anyone that it went in.”
Each team had chances to add to their goal total, but neither
could break through.
Billiken senior goalkeeper Martin Hutton turned away four shots
in the game, including a big save in the 40th minute, when Hutton
turned away a header placed in the upper right corner of his net
off of a Blazer free kick.
The pace of the game slowed significantly in the second half,
but the Bills still had opportunities of their own.
minute, coming off of a John DiRaimondo corner and from freshman
Nick Cicciarelli.
UAB also had a breakaway chance in the 62nd minute, but freshman
Brandon Gasparovic tracked back to stop the attack in the SLU
penalty area.
“Down the road, this win is going to be big,” Wileman said.
“I’m glad that we’re getting quality games in,” said coach Dan
Donigan. “If we take care of the defensive side of the ball, our
offensive opportunities will continue to come.”
The win allowed SLU to jump over UAB in the C-USA standings,
tying No. 17 USF for second place. SLU and USF sit two points
behind first-place Memphis.
The Bills have regained a spot in the “Soccer America” rankings,
and now sit 25th.
Also, John’s recent scoring spurt earned him honors as C-USA
player of the week.
John has buried two goals and tallied two assists in Bills’ last
two games.
This is the third time that John, the leading scorer in C-USA
(9G, 3A) has earned Player of the Week honors this year.
Likewise, for their performances this weekend, “Soccer America”
and “College Soccer News” selected both John and Wileman as
national team players of the week.
In addition, John’s name continues to pop up as a candidate for
the Hermann Trophy award.
The Hermann Trophy is NCAA soccer’s top award, equivalent to the
Heisman Trophy in football.
SLU will ride their two game win streak into two C-USA games,
first at Louisville on Saturday, then against Cincinnati at home on
Wednesday.
The Cardinals sit in sixth place in C-USA after only three games
in-conference and the Bearcats are three points behind SLU and in
fifth place, overall.
Louisville shut out the Bills for a win in St. Louis in their
meeting last year and the Bearcats topped SLU 4-3 in overtime in a
road contest in Cincinnati during the 2003 campaign.
