Piscataway, N.J. - Seventeenth-ranked Saint Louis University topped Rutgers 2-1 tonight in overtime at the Scarlet Knights' own Philips Lighting/adidas Classic before 1,117 fans at Yurcak Field. Billiken leading scorer Jack Jewsbury netted the game winner at 98:43.
"We got an outstanding effort from our entire team tonight," Billikens head coach Bob Warming said. "Rutgers played with five in the back to start the match and was sending runners through the central midfield. We had no idea how to handle it for the first 15 minutes, but once we sorted it out, we played great."
Rutgers got on the board first in the 22nd minute as sophomore midfielder Mike Walsh beat Billiken keeper Paul Nagy. Junior midfielder Dustin Sheppard and freshman forward Josh Gros picked up assists.
Billiken senior Brian Hadican, who moved into the role of an attacking midfielder tonight, evened the match with his first goal of the season at 26:20. Saint Louis assist leader David Beck sent a cross into the RU penalty area that Hadican caught with the inside of his foot and slotted it past Scarlet Knights keeper Ricky Zinter from eight yards. The teams remained tied at the break.
Saint Louis had the better of the play in the second half, and Billiken freshman Brad Davis was continually dangerous. He twice hit the cross bar and Zinter made a scintillating save on another Davis drive. Both teams had a chance in the waning moments of regulation and were arguing for penalty kicks, but none were forthcoming.
After being nominated for the Missouri Athletic Club National Player of the Year award earlier in the week, Jewsbury set a new single-season career high for goals with nine when he found the back of the net in overtime. Senior midfielder Vedad Alagic played a 40-yard through ball to Davis, who made a run to the left corner. Jewsbury ran on to Davis' cross with a diving header to the near post.
The Billikens out-shot the Scorlet Knights 15-7 and had a 5-1 edge in corner kicks. Nagy made three saves for the Billikens who now have won three in a row and have a five-game unbeaten streak. Zinter made five saves for RU.
The Billikens are 6-2-1 overall, while Rutgers is 5-6-0. Saint Louis tangles with third-ranked St. John's on Sunday at noon (CT). The Red Storm played to a 1-1 overtime tie with American in the first game tonight.
SAINT LOUIS 2, RUTGERS 1 OT
RU 21:10 Mike Walsh from Dustin Sheppard and Josh Gros
SLU 26:20 Brian Hadican 8-yd header from David Beck
SLU 98:43 Jack Jewsbury header from Brad Davis and Vedad Alagic
Shots: SLU-15, RU-7
Corners: SLU-5, RU-1
Saves: SLU-3 (Nagy), RU-5 (Zinter)
Fouls: SLU-12, RU-10
Att: 1,117
