The SLU Billikens celebrate winning the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament championship, Sunday at Hermann Stadium. (Photo: Ellie Parker)
| NCAA Men’s Soccer | 1 | 2 | OT-1 | OT-2 | PKs | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #2 Dayton (8-2-8) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| #1 SLU (10-2-7) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
SCORING SUMMARY
| Time | Team | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 33:52 |  | Miles Bonham (1) Assisted By: Dren Dobruna. |
| 81:22 |  | Theo Franca (5) Assisted By: Andrew Heckenlaible. |
ST. LOUIS, MO — The Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament men’s soccer championship came down to the right foot of Saint Louis University junior midfielder Tanner Anderson.
Saint Louis and longtime rival Dayton played 90 regulation minutes and two 10-minute overtime periods and weren’t able to settle a winner. So the match came down to penalty kicks.
Dayton scored on four of its five shot attempts and SLU scored on its first four chances as well. That set up the dramatic finish, with Anderson stepping forward with a chance to win the match for the Billikens.
And the junior from Quincy, Ill., delivered for Saint Louis — with a shot that blasted past Dayton goalkeeper Gavin Krenecki and into the net — for the game-winning score that brought the crowd to its feet and set off a wild celebration on the field, as SLU claimed its fifth Atlantic 10 championship.
“Just an awesome victory. I’m so excited for our guys,” SLU head coach Kevin Kalish said. “It’s been a great year and it’s always great to be able to call yourself the league champs at the end of the year.”
SLU’s Andrew Heckenlaible battles two Dayton defenders for the ball during Sunday’s Atlantic 10 Tournament championship game. (Photo: Ellie Parker)
Saint Louis will also claim the Atlantic 10’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, which will begin next week. SLU will find out who its first-round opponent will be during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show, which will air Monday at noon on NCAA.com.
The Billikens were ranked No. 20 in the country in last week’s United Soccer Coaches Top 25 national poll and many believe, SLU will be selected to host its first round game no matter who its opponent is.
SLU goalkeeper Jeremi Abonnel was named A-10 Tournament MVP, after leading the Billikens to a championship win over Dayton on Sunday. (Photo: Ellie Parker)
Dayton took a 1-0 lead, when Miles Bonham scored for the Flyers in the 34th minute. The score remained 1-0 until SLU freshman Theo Franca tied the score with his team-leading fifth goal of the season in the 82nd minute.
Neither team scored in either overtime, which set up the penalty kicks finish. Billiken goalkeeper Jeremi Abonnel, who was later named Tournament MVP, made the save on Dayton’s first chance, which gave SLU the advantage, as long as it could score on all its chances.
Quinten Blair, Jack DiMaria, J.C. Cortez, and Abonnel himself scored on SLU’s first four chances. Dayton did score on its final chance, which set up Anderson for the chance to win the match.
He did and the Billikens did, and now they’re headed to the NCAA Tournament for an NCAA-record 52nd time.
INFO UPDATE — Saint Louis will play Kentucky in its NCAA Tournament 1st round game. The matchup will take place on Thursday, November 20 at SLU’s Hermann Stadium.
Opening kick will be at 7 p.m., and the match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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 |