After a tough loss against Indiana in their season opener, the Saint Louis University Billikens men’s soccer team rebounded against the Drake Bulldogs on Sunday to win their first game of the season, 1-0. The Bills (1-1) had to quickly put the loss to Indiana behind them last Friday to face Drake.
“It was a good effort it was not easy, Drake made it a very difficult second game in 48 hours.” Head Coach Mike McGinty said. “There were a lot of reasons why it was a tough game for us, we spent a lot of energy Friday night and to come out here and show some mental toughness was good.”
In a sea of blue over 5,000 strong, the Billikens sought to open their season with a win in front of the raucous crowd. However, the Bills did not deliver with a 2-1 loss at Hermann Stadium
“I thought the guys played their socks off,” McGinty said. “I thought they gave everything they had and did everything that we asked of them. The team showed a lot of fight and a lot spirit and I hope the fans got their money’s worth.”
The Bills started off the match well, controlling the ball for most of the first 20 minutes of the match. The Bills Kingsley Bryce made a beautiful cross from the left to Jon Roeckle in the top of the box in minute 22 for the Bills’ first goal of the season. However, Indiana responded in the minute 34 with a goal by their star player and Hermann Trophy Watchlist player Eriq Zavaleta.
The game was tied at halftime and then control began to shift into Indiana’s favor. Indiana controlled the ball for most of the first 15 minutes in the second half. In the 67th minute, an Indiana player crossed a ball toward the Bills goalkeeper Nick Shackelford, but Jon Roeckle attempting to defend the incoming pass accidently headed into his own goal. The Bills had a few close opportunities on goal in the second half, but could not score a goal. Alex Sweetin nearly sneaked a ball past Indiana goalkeeper, but he recovered and grabbed the ball before it crossed the line.
“Tonight was upsetting, we had been training for three and a half months, we were trying as hard as we could, we came out here with a great game plan and there just an unfortunate own goal at the end,” Goalkeeper Nicholas Shackelford said.
However, the Billikens rebounded 48 hours later with a 1-0 victory over the Drake Bulldogs. The Bills controlled the ball much of the first half, but could not put a tally on the board and they went into halftime 0-0. The Bills finally got on the board after Donte Brangman sent a cross into the box and Adnan Gabeljic fought off a defender settled the ball and powered it into the goal.
The Bills have two upcoming games at Hermann Stadium. On Saturday, the Bills play University of Missouri at Kansas City and next Tuesday, Sept. 4they will play the nationally-ranked University of Louisville.
