The Bills kicked off A10 conference play Sep. 20 with a tough opponent on the road in Saint Joseph’s University.

   Through the first 45 minutes, the game was deadlocked, as neither team was able to effectively drive the ball into independence square.

   Senior forward Maddie Pokorny left her John Hancock on the game, as two of her shots snaked through independence hall, past the goalie, and off the Liberty bell, cracking its shell and signaling defeat for the Saint Joe’s Hawks.

   “Our goal was to win the physical battle first, then get the ball down the field and establish our rhythm,” said Pokorny. “Once we dictated the speed of the game and how we like to play, we were able to find the back of the net early in the second half.”

   The SLU defense continued their recent dominance, and proved that the sun still doesn’t set on the billiken empire. They recorded their fourth shutout in the past five games, and their sixth shutout this season.

   The Billikens then returned home Sunday for a matchup against a struggling Davidson Wildcats squad.

   SLU let the cat out of the bag on an early mistake from keeper Oliva Silverman in the 22nd minute, and Davidson took an early 1-0 lead.

   Despite the Bills dominating the first half, they were unable to get anything past Wildcat’s goalie Sarah L’Hommedieu. “We really dominated play,” said Billikens head coach about the first half. “But we made a mistake and we learned a lesson from that because we could have been up even by the time they scored.”

   The Bills continued to dominate in the second half, as they finally tamed Karen the Cougar in the 50th minute with a Hannah Friedrich goal. The match seemed destined for a draw until Alyssa Seitzer hit a dagger in the 87th minute to seal the SLU victory.

   “I was really proud of their grit and resilience,” said Shields about the match. “They didn’t panic, and obviously Alyssa Seitzer with a fantastic finish at the end to put us up a goal.”

   The ladies continued their home stand Sep. 27th against a desperate 0-11 Rhode Island team.

   Although the Billikens only managed to sneak one Maddie Pokorny header by the Rhody keeper, the team from the smallest state put up the smallest offensive effort in the match, as SLU outshot the rams a staggering 40-2.

   Sophomore Defender Haley Cox tallied her first career assist on the Pokorny header, as she placed a ball perfectly in the box off of a drive and cross.

   The Bills also set a new school record on corners in a game with 21, breaking the old record set in 1997. Not so coincidentally, the Rams looked more like lambs in the corner department, as they were unable to muster a single corner kick in the contest.

   “Coach Shields put me in off the bench to change the game and add some energy to the lineup,” Said Cox about her assist. “I knew as soon as I kicked it, someone would be there to make contact and it was a great header by Maddie to eventually be the game winner.”

   The Billikens then left the comfort of Hermann Stadium, as continued on to Richmond just three days later.