In this past weekend’s Toys for Tots tournament, Saint Louis University’s women’s soccer team earned the tournament title and added two wins to their season.
“It was a true team effort; we worked really well together, and it all just came together,” senior midfielder Mary Green said.
In their first match-up, the Billikens defeated Southeastern Missouri State 3-1. Freshman midfielder Alyssa Mautz scored two goals and earned an assist.
Her first goal resulted from a shot by sophomore forward Kelly Waeckerle, which was deflected by SEMO’s senior goalkeeper, Lindsay Pickering. The ball fell to the feet of a well-positioned Mautz, and she capitalized, to give SLU the 1-0 advantage.
It took Mautz fewer than three minutes to earn her second goal, as a miscommunication from two SEMO defenders left a clearance. Mautz took advantage of the opportunity, lofting the ball into the net. ?
Overall SLU outshot SEMO 18-6, while sophomore goalkeeper Hannah Koesterer had to make only four saves on the night.
In the Billikens’ next match up against Army, a match that remained scoreless through regular time and through most of the two overtimes, SLU was able to pull out a double-overtime win. The Bills outshot Army 20-5 and controlled the majority of the game.
In the final minutes of the second overtime, senior midfielder Liz Fox passed the ball to Waeckerle in the box, where she was pulled down. Waeckerle’s effort earned SLU a penalty kick with 2:01 left on the clock in double overtime. Green, then, buried the ball into the left corner of the net to notch the only score of the game.
“I generally do not like taking penalty kicks-I get really nervous,” Green said. “Once you get over that initial fear and just get your head in the game, it’s all better. It’s definitely a nerve-racking moment and I am just happy that I made the shot. All credit should really go to Waeckerle for her effort, which created the penalty-kick opportunity.”
In addition to winning the tournament, several SLU team members received honors for their tournament play. Fox, sophomore midfielder Susan Fredrickson and Mautz were named to the all-tournament team, while Green was named the tournament MVP for her efforts.
Additionally, Mautz was named the A-10 rookie of the week, which was based largely on her performance in SEMO match-up.
TopDrawerSoccer.com named Green to the National Team of the week for the second consecutive season.
“I think my parents are way more excited then I am,” Green said. “For me, it’s more of a tribute to the team. If I did not have this team with me, if we had not played together so well as a team this weekend, I would not be receiving this kind of recognition.”
This Friday, SLU is set to travel to Nebraska University to play the first-ever match-up between the two teams. Freshman forward Shay Powell and junior midfielder Sari Raber lead the Cornhuskers in scoring, with four points each, while Mautz leads SLU in points, with five.
The Cornhuskers (2-2-2) are coming off of two straight losses in the USC tournament, which were their first of the season. The Billikens (3-2), however, are coming off of two straight tournament victories and look to maintain that momentum. SLU is focused on elevating their play this Friday, according to Green.
“In practice this week, we’ve been working a lot on passing and creating passing combinations,” Green said. We need to focus on moving the ball around and putting the combinations into play.”
