SLU goalkeeper Emily Puricelli (1) and two teammates battle to keep the ball away from an Indiana player during Friday’s first round NCAA Tournament game at Hermann Stadium. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| NCAA Tournament – 1st Round | 1 | 2 | Final |
| Indiana (12-4-4) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| #6 SLU (18-2-2) | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 10:59 |  | Abbie Miller (3) PENALTY KICK GOAL. |
| 29:20 | | Anna Lawler (3) Assisted By: Hannah Larson. |
Paige Dale
Staff Writer
ST. LOUIS, MO — The Saint Louis University Billikens notched two first half goals, and delivered 90 minutes of brilliant defense, in a 2-0 win over Indiana University in an NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship first round match, Friday night at Hermann Stadium.
Abbie Miller and Anna Lawler scored the two goals, while goalkeeper Emily Puricelli led Saint Louis to it 11th straight shutout victory and an appearance in the national championship tournament’s second round, where the Billikens will play either Georgetown or Old Dominion, who will meet on Saturday, in a match next Friday, November 17, in State College, Penn.
Saint Louis is now 18-2-2 on the season, with an 11-game winning and shutout streak, and a 17-game unbeaten streak. The Billikens are 15-0-2 since their last loss, which occurred on August 31.
On Friday, Saint Louis jumped on Indiana quickly. Junior midfielder Hannah Larson made a move with the ball inside the Indiana goal box in the 11th minute, and forced a defender to take her down.
That led to a penalty kick, which was taken by Miller. The grad student senior, who specializes in penalty kicks, drilled a shot into the bottom left corner, past the Indiana goalkeeper to give Saint Louis a 1-0 lead.
Lawler’s goal came in the 30th minute, on a corner kick. Larson was the one who delivered the pass.
It soared over three Indiana defenders and right to Lawler, who buried a shot in the Indiana net to make the score 2-0.
From there, the Billiken defense simply smothered Indiana’s offense and didn’t allow any legit scoring chances.
Puricelli made four saves and extended her school career records to 66 victories and 40 shutouts.
The goals for Miller and Lawler were both players’ third goals of the season.