The SLU women have won four in a row and are 10-1-5 on the season. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| NCAA Women’s Soccer | 1 | 2 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLU (10-1-5, 6-0-2) | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| La Salle (7-5-5, 2-4-3) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
SCORING SUMMARY
| Time | Team | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 23:31 |  | Audrey Smith (3) Assisted By: Hannah Sawyer. |
| 45:00 | | Katie Houck (1) Assisted By: Caigan Leonard. |
| 50:12 |  | Haley Gschrey (9) Unassisted. |
| 86:02 | | Hannah Sawyer (4) Assisted By: Elise Le. |
| 87:20 | | Lyndsey Heckel (4) Assisted By: Katie Houck. |
Nora Nichols
Staff Writer
PHILADELPHIA, PA — Seniors Katie Houck and Hannah Sawyer both scored a goal and dished out an assist to power the Saint Louis University women’s soccer team to a 4-1 victory over La Salle in an Atlantic 10 Conference game, Sunday afternoon at McCarthy Stadium.
Audrey Smith and Lyndsey Heckel also scored goals for Saint Louis, which has won four games in a row and also has an 11-game unbeaten streak. SLU’s only loss this season came on September 1. Since then, the Billikens have eight wins and three ties.
Overall, Saint Louis is 10-1-5 on the season and owns a 6-0-2 record in Atlantic 10 league play. The Billikens currently own second place in the conference standings. They are one point behind Dayton, which is 7-1 in A-10 play.
Sunday’s win clinched a top four spot for SLU in the league’s final standings, which means Saint Louis will host a quarterfinal game for the Atlantic 10 Championship Tournament which will begin when the regular season concludes.
Saint Louis scored twice in each half. Smith scored the first goal — her third of the season — with Sawyer notching her third assist of the season in the 24th minute. Houck knocked home her first goal of the year at the first-half buzzer, as freshman Caigan Leonard assisted to collect her first point as a Billiken.
La Salle’s Haley Gschrey cut the SLU lead in half in the 51st minute, and it stayed 2-1 until the closing moments. Sawyer scored her fourth goal of 2024 (Elise Le second assist) in the 87th minute, and Heckel netted her fourth marker of the season in the 88th minute with Houck picking up her third helper of the year.
Goalkeeper Emily Puricelli made five saves and tallied her 77th career victory, as SLU extended its A-10 regular-season unbeaten streak to 28 games. Including conference tournament games, Saint Louis extended its unbeaten streak vs. league opponents to 37 games.
The Billikens have two regular season games left on the schedule. They will host their final home regular season game on Thursday, October 24, against George Mason. Opening kick will be at 7 p.m.
Then, next Sunday, SLU will travel to Dayton, for a matchup that will likely settle the A-10 regular season championship and determine who will be the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
2024 SLU BILLIKENS WOMEN’S SOCCER SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 24, 2024 (Thursday) | 7 pm | Home | George Mason | Hermann Stadium |
| October 27, 2024 (Sunday) | Noon | Away | Dayton | Dayton, OH |
| November 1-2, 2024 | TBD | Home | Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament | Hermann Stadium |