The BillikXens men’s and women’s soccer squads faced off against the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) Cougars for the 2024 Bronze Boot titles on Sept. 8. CITYPARK, home to St. Louis City’s Major League Soccer (MLS) team, hosted the annual matchup for the second year in a row. The billiken women came out on top of SIUE with a 6-1 victory, while the men fought hard but faltered 0-1.
The Billikens had the advantage of housing numerous A-10 standout players, one of them being graduate student and St. Louis native, Emily Puricelli. This is Puricelli’s fifth year in net for the Billikens. Puricelli ranks second in conference for save percentage (.903), and shutouts (three). (SLU Billikens)
Another key player for the Billikens is Emily Gaebe, a senior forward from Union, Missouri. Entering into her senior season, Gaebe clocked in at No. 17 on the Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Top 100. Gaebe has been fulfilling expectations, already earning two in-season A-10 honors, Offensive Player of the Week, in late August as well as this past week.
Lastly, fifth-year senior from Columbia, Missouri, Hannah Larson, is providing the Billikens with an attacking advantage. Ranking at No. 46 on the Top Drawer Preseason Top 100, Larson earned a spot on the A-10 Preseason All-Conference team. About a month into the regular season, Larson is providing substance behind her preseason accolades.
Starting out strong, in the 13th minute, Gaebe striked and scored off an assist from Izzy Leubert. The Billikens were up in the first half with a 1-0 lead. The remainder of the first half was a hard-fought battle by both teams, ending up with the same 1-0 score after the first 30 minutes of play. After a stalemate end to the first half, the Billikens came out of the locker room at halftime with a desire to secure a win, as well as their title as 2024 Bronze Boot Champions.
In the 58th minute, Gaebe scored her second of the night with assists from Larson and Katie Houk. Nearly two minutes later, Julia Simon put one away off a ball from Gaebe, improving the score to 3-0, putting the Billikens on top. As the Billikens began to pull away, the SIUE Cougars finally responded with a goal from MaryClare Imig off an assist from Macie Begley. Short-lived success in the 64th minute from the Cougars was followed up with the Billikens’ fourth goal made by Larson less than two minutes later. The final two goals came from freshmen Lucie Schwartz and Emily Fox, marking both of their first collegiate goals.
The female Billikens officially claimed the Bronze Boot title after a 6-1 dominant performance, resulting in a team win against the SIUE Cougars. SLU women’s soccer now maintains a winning record of 4-1-3.
Billikens men’s soccer took the pitch shortly after women’s for their Bronze Boot meeting with the Cougars. Entering this match, the Billikens stood with a record of 1-1-1, and the SIUE Cougars claimed 0-2-1 on their season.
Senior forward Matthew Wrobel, originally from Ontario, Canada, had been finding offensive success early this season for the Billikens. Wrobel proved his talent early when making key plays in the Billikens 2-0 upset win against No. 7 Indiana in late August.
Another leader for the Billikens is senior forward out of Mexico City, Luis Lara. Lara’s speed on his dribble allows him to put himself in good scoring positions. Lara played an active role during the Billikens’ stiff 1-1 matchup against Indiana University Indianapolis (IU Indy), having one goal and seven shots.
The men’s Bronze Boot contest had a scoreless start, despite both teams generating many offensive opportunities. In the first half, the Billikens ended up out shooting the Cougars 6-3, however, the Cougars generated more corner kicks, 4-1. Both teams proved unable to capitalize on their first half opportunities and entered the half goalless, 0-0.
The second half provided a fresh slate for both teams. The Billikens came out swinging with 38 minutes to play with a final shot attempt from behind the midline that was stopped by SIUE’s keeper. About 10 minutes later, momentum shifted when SLU was dealt a yellow card resulting in a SIUE penalty kick opportunity. This opportunity led to SIUE’s first and only goal of the contest. Billikens goalkeeper Jeremi Abonnel dove the right way, but the kick was too fast for him. SLU tried to respond by creating offensive opportunities, but failed.
Billikens fell to SIUE 0-1, and lost the Bronze Boot contest against SIUE for the second year in a row. However, the SLU men’s soccer squad has opportunities to turn things around before conference play starts on Sept. 21. Their record remains at 2-2-1.
SLU Women’s Soccer had a dominant and dynamic 6-1 win against the SIUE Cougars, showcasing their extensive talent and potential. The SLU Men’s Soccer squad had a frustrating performance against the SIUE Cougars leading to a 0-1 loss. While the men were generating scoring opportunities, they were unable to capitalize and score.
