Members of the SLU Billikens celebrate upsetting third-seeded UMass in the A-10 Tournament on Saturday. (Photo courtesy: A-10 Sports)
| NCAA Men’s Soccer | 1 | 2 | OT 1 | OT 2 | OT 3 | PK | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #6 SLU (7-3-8) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 (1) |
| #3 UMass (10-3-5) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (0) |
Jason Barnes
Special to the Editor
AMHERST, MA — The Saint Louis University men’s soccer team earned a nail-biting victory in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Conference Soccer Championships on Saturday. Saint Louis and host Massachusetts played to a scoreless tie through regulation and three overtime periods.
The match went to a penalty kick shootout, where each team would get up to five attempts to try and score to win the game. SLU scored on its three chances, while UMass missed on its three, which gave the Billikens the win and the right to advance to the tournament semifinals.
SLU, the No. 6 seed, will play top-seeded George Mason in the semifinals on Wednesday, November 13, at George Mason Stadium in Fairfax, Va. The winner will advance to the A-10 Championship Game, next Sunday, November 17.
If Saint Louis wins, it will be on the road to play whoever wins the other semifinal between No. 5 Fordham and No. 2 Dayton. If George Mason wins, it will host the championship game, due to earning home-field advantage after winning the A-10 regular season title.
The SLU Billikens will play George Mason in the A-10 Tournament semifinals on Wednesday. (Photo: Cedric Williams)
SLU outshot UMass 9-6 and had an 8-4 advantage in corner kicks in regulation, but neither team was able to find the back of the net, setting up the penalty-kick shootout to determine the advancing team.
The Billikens were perfect on their chances as Max Floriani, Grady Easton, and Luis Lara converted. UMass sent its first chance high, had its second opportunity saved by SLU goalkeeper Jeremi Abonnel, and with the shootout on the line, sent its final attempt over the bar to vault Saint Louis to the A-10 semifinals.
George Mason and the Billikens did not meet in the regular season. The Patriots topped No. 8-seed La Salle in the quarterfinals last night to advance to Wednesday’s semis.
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 at No. 1 George Mason Wednesday, November 13 — 6 pm | |
| Match 6: No. 5 Fordham at No. 2 Dayton Wednesday, November 13 — 6 pm | |
| CHAMPIONSHIP – Sunday, November 17 On Campus of Higher Seed | |
|---|---|
| Match 7: Winner of Match 5 vs. Winner of Match 6 Noon Local Time Watch Live Live Stats | |