The Saint Louis University women’s soccer team begins Atlantic 10 Conference play this weekend. The team kicks off the action this Friday at Rhode Island (0-7-1) at 6 p.m., and stays on the east coast for a Sunday game at Massachusetts (3-6-0) at 12 p.m.

“Conference is a new season for us with new opportunities,” head coach Tim Champion said. “But anytime you travel on an airplane to the east coast, it can be a challenge.”

The team concluded their non-conference schedule with a scoreless draw against the University of Iowa on Sunday, Sept. 26. Iowa, now 7-2-2, recorded their second tie of the weekend on Sunday. Iowa begins Big Ten conference play on Sunday, Oct. 3.

The Billikens (1-4-5) got two shots apiece from sophomore Alli Reimer, senior Ashley Brazill, senior Christina Brown and junior Jasmina Suljic. This was the fifth scoreless draw of the season for the Billikens.

“It was a fun game to watch, and we played good defensively,” Champion said. “We just need to find a way to start dropping some balls in the back of the net.”

Sophomore goalkeeper Katie Walsh recorded a season-high eight saves against the Hawkeyes. Walsh was named as the A-10 Co-player of the Week for Sept. 20-26. She leads the conference with six shutouts and ranks in the top 50 in the nation in goals against average (0.56). She also ranks among the conference leaders in save percentage (.854).

“Katie is doing an amazing job for us; she always comes up with a huge save for us at some point during the game,” sophomore Allison Hu said.

Walsh and the entire Billiken team will depart for the east coast this weekend for the start of conference play. After this weekend, the Billikens go on a four-game home stand, where they will look to move toward the top of the A-10 standings.

“We love playing in front of our hometown fans, and having our families come and watch us is amazing. It makes for a more exciting environment,” sophomore defenseman Maggie Baumann said.

The Billikens return home on Friday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. against Duquesne and then on Sunday, Oct. 10 at 1 p.m. against St. Bonaventure.

When asked about the goals for this weekend’s road trip, Baumann put it very simply: “We want to put the ball away and win.”