Members of the SLU Billikens celebrate winning Wednesday’s A-10 semifinal game over George Mason. (Photo courtesy: A-10 Sports)

NCAA Men’s Soccer	1	2	Final
#6 SLU (8-3-8)	2	0	2
#1 George Mason (13-4-1)	0	1	1

SCORING SUMMARY

Time	Team	Description
31:39		Matthew Wrobel (5) Assisted By: Drake Fournier.
40:08		Max Floriani (3) Assisted By: Luis Lara.
69:09		Javi Sanchez (2) PENALTY KICK.

Jason Barnes
Special to the Editor

FAIRFAX, VA — No. 6 seed Saint Louis University will play for an Atlantic 10 Conference Men’s Soccer championship for the third time in the last four years, after dispatching top-seeded George Mason, 2-1, in a semifinal match Wednesday evening at George Mason Stadium.

Saint Louis, which won the 2021 and 2022 championships, will travel to Dayton to face the No. 2 seed Flyers on Sunday in the A-10 title game. Opening kick is set for 11 a.m., with the winner receiving the league championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament.

This will mark the eighth time SLU has placed in the championship final since joining the league in 2005, holding a 3-2-2 record in those trophy games.

Matthew Wrobel scored the first goal of the night in Wednesday’s A-10 semifinal game against George Mason. (Photo courtesy: A-10 Sports)

Saint Louis (8-3-8) only had two shots on goal, and just four total shots as the Patriots dominated offensive play, but both of those shots found the back of George Mason’s net.

Senior forward Matthew Wrobel took a pass from freshman Drake Fournier in the 32nd minute and fired SLU’s first shot on goal of the game, scoring for a 1-0 lead. Max Floriani went to the same spot as Wrobel nine minutes later, low and to the left, for a 2-0 lead before halftime, with a helper from Luis Lara.

George Mason (13-4-1) upped the offensive pressure in the second half, taking nine shots. But it took a penalty kick in the 69th minute by Javi Sanchez to get the Patriots on the board. Most of those shots came early in the period, as the Billikens allowed just one shot in the final 20 minutes.

Marek Gonda and Martim Sereno fired a game-high three shots each to lead the Patriots scoring chances, which finished at 15 total shots, six of which were on goal. Mason also held the edge in corners, 4-0.

Wrobel and Floriani’s shots were the only two on goal for the Billikens, and the four overall shots were scattered among four different players. SLU’s Jeremi Abonnel, the A-10 Goalkeeper of the Year, made five saves.

Saint Louis, which made it to the semifinals by upsetting No. 3 seed UMass last Saturday, will be looking to avenge a 4-1 loss they suffered at Dayton two weeks ago in the A-10 regular-season finale. The Flyers have advanced through the tournament with wins over No. 7 Davidson and No. 5 Fordham, both at home.

Opening kick for Wednesday’s semifinal matchup is slated for 6 p.m. The contest will be streamed live on ESPN+.

QUARTERFINALS – November 8 & 9
No. 1 George Mason 2, No. 8 La Salle 0 Friday, November 8 — 6 pm
No. 4 Duquesne 0, No. 5 Fordham 3 Saturday, November 9 — 6 pm
No. 2 Dayton 1, No. 7 Davidson 0 Friday, November 8 — 6 pm
No. 6 Saint Louis 0, No. 3 Massachusetts 0 (SLU advances on shootout, 3-0) Saturday, November 9 — 12 pm

SEMIFINALS – Wednesday, November 13
Match 5: No. 6 Saint Louis 2, No. 1 George Mason 1 Wednesday, November 13 — 6 pm
Match 6: No. 5 Fordham 0, No. 2 Dayton 2 Wednesday, November 13 — 6 pm

CHAMPIONSHIP – Sunday, November 17 On Campus of Higher Seed
Match 7: No. 6 Saint Louis at No. 2 Dayton Sunday, November 17 — 11 am Watch Live Live Stats