Kingsley Bryce’s second-half goal was not enough as the Billikens lost their second game of the season in a 2-1 overtime thriller.

“After coming off two big wins, our team feels confident enough that we should win every game,” said Graduate Assistant coach and former SLU player, Blake Schneider.

The Billikens squared off against the Denver University Pioneers on Saturday afternoon in hopes of notching their third win in a row.

To accomplish this though, the Bills needed to go through a tough Denver University squad.

SLU came out on point in the first half, moving the ball with precision passing which lead to multiple scoring opportunities.

The Pioneers’ offense was also spot on from the beginning of the match, generating a few of their own chances. However, neither squad had anything to show for their efforts as the first half ended at a 0-0 deadlock with the Bills tallying 5 shots and the Pioneers adding 7.

The fans did not have to wait much longer to see the game’s first goal. Midfielder Bryce drove in his first goal of the year in the 46th minute.

“‘Sweets  [Alex Sweetin] tried to play a through ball to Adnan [Gabeljic] but it happened to fall for me, and I hit it well,” Bryce said. “It just felt good to finally get that first one.”

The Bills’ happiness was short-lived, however, as the goal by Bryce seemed to spark the Pioneers’ offense. From then on, the Pioneers unleashed a relentless attack on the Bills’ defense, forcing them to play most of the second half on their heels.

In the 74th minute, Denver’s hard work materialized into an equalizer as midfielder Mark Weigand collected the ball from the clearance off a free kick and leveled the game at 1-1.

At the end of regulation time the two sides were level 1-1, sending the match into overtime. In the 96th minute, Denver put the finishing touches on a hard-fought contest.

SLU was rewarded a free kick from 50 yards out, but the Pioneers caught the Bills on the counter attack. Pioneer forward Ryan Dodson beat goalkeeper Nick Shackelford for the golden goal, solidifying the win 2-1.

The Bills look to get back on track with their winning ways on September 15th in a match versus the University of Evansville Purple Aces.