In a rematch of the opening round of the NCAA tournament, Saint Louis University squared off against Missouri State University, Wednesday, April 14, as part of the 2010 spring exhibition season.
However, unlike last year, the Billikens did not walk away with a victory, losing 1-0 at Robert R. Hermann Stadium.
The loss was the third of five games on the Billikens spring slate. The next competition in the exhibition season is on April 18 against Washington University St. Louis at Hermann Stadium.
Sophomore David Buckenheimer scored midway through the second half off a deflection on a cross from sophomore Jordan Hoffman to give the Bears the lone goal of the match.
This game was the second chance for Billiken fans to see a team helmed by new coach Mike McGinty at Hermann Stadium.
The loss brings the Billikens spring record to 1-1-1 after playing to a 2-2 draw on March 28 against AC St. Louis, a member of the United States Soccer Federation Division II professional league, and a 1-0 victory over Southern Illinois on April 3 at Busch Soccer Park.
The Bills got goals from senior James Dice and freshman Adnan Gabeljic. Gabeljic is a new recruit that graduated high school a semester early and began classes at SLU in the spring.
The new Billiken head coach was pleased with what he saw in his new team’s first game.
“I was happy with the effort, attitude and mentality of the group. We were aggressive and tried to keep scoring goals. We are still trying to figure out who plays well with whom, and for our first game we got a lot accomplished,” McGinty said.
Dice’s goal came at the three minute mark when sophomore Mike Roach crossed a dead ball into the box and Dice headed it into the back of the net. Gabeljic’s goal came off of a free kick as well, with the freshman bending it over the wall in the 58th minute to tie the game at 2-2.
Freshman Alex Sweetin scored the only goal in the 1-0 victory over SIUE. Sweetin’s goal came in the 79th minute when he buried a pass from Roach into the back of the net.
The Billikens will conclude the exhibition season when they travel to Missouri Valley foe, Bradley University, on April 24 to take on the Braves
