The SLU Billikens celebrate defeating Akron and advancing to the NCAA men’s soccer Final Four. (Photo courtesy: SLU Athletics)
| NCAA Men’s Soccer | 1 | 2 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLU (13-2-8) | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| #14 Akron (13-5-3) | 2 | 0 | 2 |
SCORING SUMMARY
| Time | Team | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 03:05 |  | Jack Roman (6) Assisted By: Stefan Dobrijevic, Ashton Kamdem. |
| 37:46 | | Matt Dreas (1) Assisted By: Tyler Morck. |
| 49:15 |  | Akron own goal Unassisted. |
| 77:58 | | Quinten Blair (4) Penalty Kick. |
| 86:59 | | Tanner Anderson (4) Assisted By: Andrew Heckenlaible, Jack DiMaria. |
AKRON, OH — The Saint Louis University men’s soccer team rallied from a two-goal deficit by scoring three times in the second half to defeat No. 14 seeded Akron, 3-2, and earn the program’s first trip to the NCAA College Cup — the equivalent of the men’s soccer Final Four — since 1997.
The Billikens (13-2-8) will be making their 17th College Cup appearance. The games will be held at First Horizon Stadium in Cary, N.C., on December 12 (semifinals) and December 15 (championship game).
Saint Louis will face North Carolina State in its semifinal match. Opening kick on December 12 is set for 7:30 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
SLU defenders swarm an Akron player during Saturday’s NCAA Tournament quarterfinal game. (Photo courtesy: Akron Athletics)
Akron, which one the teams’ previous meeting on September 23 — which also happens to be the last game the Billikens lost this season, scored twice in the first half and had firm control of Saturday’s game heading into halftime.
But Saint Louis did not panic and refused to back down against the highly ranked Zips.
SLU got its first score on an Akron own goal in the 50th minute, when Abdoul Karim Pare blasted a pass that deflected off an Akron defender and into the Zips net to make the score 2-1.
In the 78th minute, Pare made another pass through the Akron box that banged off the arm of a Zips defender. The officials award SLU a penalty kick, which Quinten Blair buried in the top right corner to tie the game.
Intense defense marked the final 12 minutes of the match, but SLU pulled off a sensational play in the game’s 87th minute. Freshman Jack DiMaria played a corner kick short to teammate Andrew Heckenlaible, who made a centering pass toward the Akron goal. But before anyone else could get to it, SLU’s Tanner Anderson re-directed the ball into the Akron net to give the Billikens the lead.
Akron tried, but couldn’t mount any attacks during the final three minutes. The Billiken defense held the lead until the final horn, which set off a wild celebration on the field as Saint Louis finally earned its way back to the College Cup.
SLU outshot Akron 16-8 and goalkeeper Jeremi Abonnel made four saves to earn the win.
2025 SLU BILLIKENS MEN’S SOCCER SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 21, 2025 (Thursday) | 7 pm | Home | South Florida | Hermann Stadium | Draw 0-0 (0-0-1) |
| August 24, 2025 (Sunday) | 7:30 pm | Home | #5 SMU | Hermann Stadium | W 1-0 (1-0-1) |
| August 30, 2025 (Saturday) | 7 pm | Home | Seton Hall | Hermann Stadium | W 1-0 (2-0-1) |
| September 3, 2025 (Wednesday) | 7 pm | Away | #4 Indiana | Bloomington, Ind. | L 1-0 (2-1-1) |
| September 7, 2025 (Sunday) | 6 pm | Home | SIU-Edwardsville | Hermann Stadium | W 2-1 (3-1-1) |
| September 12, 2025 (Friday) | 7 pm | Home | #9 Portland | Hermann Stadium | T 1-1 (3-1-2) |
| September 16, 2025 (Tuesday) | 7 pm | Home | Missouri State | Hermann Stadium | T 1-1 (3-1-3) |
| September 20, 2025 (Saturday) | 6 pm | Away | Duquesne | Pittsburgh, Pa. | W 1-0 (4-1-3) |
| September 23, 2025 (Tuesday) | 6 pm | Away | #10 Akron | Akron, Ohio | L 3-0 (4-2-3) |
| September 27, 2025 (Saturday) | 6:30 pm | Home | La Salle | Hermann Stadium | W 2-1 (5-2-3) |
| October 4, 2025 (Saturday) | 7 pm | Home | Dayton | Hermann Stadium | T 0-0 (5-2-4) |
| October 8, 2025 (Wednesday) | TBA | Away | George Washington | Washington, D.C. | W 2-0 (6-2-4) |
| October 11, 2025 (Saturday) | 6 pm | Away | VCU | Richmond, Va. | W 2-0 (7-2-4) |
| October 18, 2025 (Saturday) | 7 pm | Home | Fordham | Hermann Stadium | W 3-2 (8-2-4) |
| October 25, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 pm | Away | Loyola Chicago | Chicago, Ill. | T, 1-1 (8-2-5) |
| October 29, 2025 (Wednesday) | 7 pm | Home | Blackburn | Hermann Stadium | CXL |
| November 1, 2025 (Saturday) | 7 pm | Home | Rhode Island | Hermann Stadium | T, 1-1 (8-2-6) |
| November 7, 2025 (Friday) | 7 pm | Home | #8 La Salle | Hermann Stadium | W, 2-0 (9-2-6) |
| November 12, 2025 (Wednesday) | 7 pm | Home | #4 Davidson | Hermann Stadium | W, 1-0 (10-2-6) |
| November 16, 2025 (Sunday) | 12 pm | Home | #2 Dayton | Hermann Stadium | T, 1-1 (10-2-7) |
| November 20, 2025 (Thursday) | 7 pm | Home | Kentucky | Hermann Stadium | W, 2-1 2OT (11-2-7) |
| November 23, 2025 (Sunday) | 11 am | Away | #6 Indiana | Bloomington, IN | W, 1-0 (12-2-7) |
| November 30, 2025 (Sunday) | 5 pm | Away | #11 Bryant | Smithfield, RI | T, 2-2 (12-2-8) |
| December 6, 2025 (Saturday) | 12 pm | Away | #14 Akron | Akron, OH | W, 3-2 (13-2-8) |
| December 12, 2025 (Friday) | 7:30 pm | Neutral | #15 North Carolina State | Cary, NC |