The No. 8-ranked Billikens defeated the Kansas University (KU) Jayhawks 1-0 to advance to the second round of the NCAA Women’s Soccer (WSOC) Championship on Nov. 15. Coming into the tournament, both teams displayed determination, passion, and fierceness on the field.
This was a redemption match for the Billikens, as they lost to the Jayhawks in the first round of the NCAA Championship six years ago in 2018. With the two schools being located in bordering states, SLU and KU fans packed the stands to a nearly full Hermann Stadium.
As soon as the Billikens set foot on the pitch, the stadium erupted in an energy that remained consistent the entire game. Despite the cold, students, parents, faculty, and even other sports teams were enthusiastic to support the Billikens in their first stop on the road to the NCAA Championship.
Leading up to the game, the Billikens had a dominant season, finishing first in the A10 Conference. The road for the Jayhawks, on the other hand, has not been so linear. The Jayhawks left many in the Big 12 shocked with their performance in the conference tournament. Initially ranked No. 6 in their conference, the Jayhawks, from start to finish, upset themselves to the championship, where they beat No. 1 tournament-ranked Texas Christian University.
The starting line-up for the Billikens consisted of #1 Emily Puricelli, #2 Lucie Schwartz, #5 Hope Kim, #10 Julia Simon, #14 Eva Schreiber, #16 Hannah Larson, #18 Katie Houck, #24 Emily Gaebe, #25 Lyndsey Heckel, #28 Sophia Stram, and #29 Elise Le.
The Billikens led the first 15 minutes of the game. With a slow start from the Kansas defense, SLU took shot after shot but had some trouble finding the net. This was until, in the 20th minute, Gaebe was able to score with an assist from Larson. This was Gaebe’s 16th of the season and 13th game-winning goal of her career, making her currently 2 short of the record of 15 held by Abbie Miller (2019-23). Despite their 10-shot attempts, the Jayhawks were not able to match SLU’s goal, leading to a 1-0 win for the Billikens.
Tune into ESPN+ on Friday, Nov. 22 at 7 PM CST to support SLU’s women’s soccer team as they head to Los Angeles to face off against the No. 1 University of Southern California Trojans in the Sweet 16.
