SLU freshman Ashley Koch (right) moves past the Duquesne goalkeeper to score her first goal of the season, during Thursday’s Atlantic 10 Conference women’s soccer match at Hermann Stadium. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| NCAA Women’s Soccer – Oct. 19, 2023 | 1 | 2 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duquesne (6-7-4, 3-2-4) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| #22 SLU (13-2-2, 8-0-1) | 3 | 1 | 4 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 00:55 |  | Emily Gaebe (10) Assisted By: Caroline Kelly. |
| 08:43 | | Emily Gaebe (11) Assisted By: Anna Lawler , Emily Groark. |
| 10:16 | | Caroline Kelly (9) GOAL By SLU Kelly, Caroline. |
| 89:31 | | Ashley Koch (1) Assisted By: Alyssa Bockius , Ellie Paloucek. |
Paige Dale
Staff Writer
ST. LOUIS, MO — On Thursday night, the Saint Louis University women’s soccer team won the Atlantic 10 Conference regular season championship… again.
It’s Saint Louis’ fifth A-10 regular season title in the last six years, to go along with five straight conference tournament titles. SLU women’s soccer has done a lot of winning and Thursday night was just more of the same.
This time, the No. 22-ranked Billikens finished off the championship run by picking up a dominating win 4-0 win over Duquesne at Hermann Stadium.
Saint Louis is now 13-2-2 on the season and 8-0-1 in Atlantic 10 play. Those eight wins and one tie give the Billikens 25 points in the A-10 standings, which no other team in the league could surpass. The best anyone could do, with one regular season game left, is second-place La Salle could win its game on Sunday and if SLU lost, they could tie for the title.
But the Billikens defeated La Salle 4-0 earlier this year. So they own the tiebreaker and therefore can officially lay claim to another A-10 title.
Billiken stars Emily Gaebe and Caroline Kelly led the way on Thursday. Gaebe, who leads the league in scoring, netted two goals — giving her 11 goals on the year — and Kelly added a score of her own, which gives her eights goals this season.
Saint Louis dominated play throughout the night. The home club outshot the visitors 31-4 , with 14 of those shots being on goal to just one for Duquesne.
Freshman Ashley Koch scored her first collegiate goal to provide the final score of the night. The play was assisted by fellow freshman Alyssa Bockius and sophomore Ellie Paloucek.
SLU will conclude its regular season on Sunday, with a road game at Saint Joseph’s, before moving on to postseason play.
The Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament will begin next week. By winning the conference regular season title, SLU has earned home field advantage throughout the tournament.
The quarterfinals will begin next Friday, October 27, with the semifinals and championship game scheduled for November 1 and November 5, respectively. SLU’s opponent has yet to be determined. The team probably won’t know who they’re going to play until after all the regular season finales are concluded on Sunday.
2023 SLU Billikens Women’s Upcoming Soccer Schedule
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 22 (Sunday) | 12:30 pm | Away | Saint Joseph’s | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| A-10 Tournament Quarterfinals October 27 (Friday) | 7 pm | Home | TBA | Hermann Stadium |
| A-10 Tournament Semifinals November 1 (Wednesday) | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| A-10 Tournament Finals November 1 (Sunday) | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |