St. Louis - Second-ranked Saint Louis rallied past UMKC 2-1 this afternoon in the second round of the NCAA Tournament before 3,476 at Robert R. Hermann Stadium. Hermann Trophy candidate Brad Davis assisted on the game-tying goal and netted the winner as the Billikens advanced to the third round.
"When we fell behind, we kept our composure and continued to play well," Billikens head coach Dan Donigan said. "We have experienced players who have been through this. We created plenty of great opportunities, and some days they go in so the match isn't quite as close."
The Kangaroos scored on their first shot of the match at 55:43. UMKC forward Larry Scheller sent a cross from his wide right position. With Cole apparently in good position defensively and Politis seemingly on top of the play, Roos forward Drew Perkins got his foot on it and deflected it past Politis from two yards.
"It was a tricky play," Billikens keeper John Politis said. "Both Jason Cole and their player dived for it, and you just don't know where the ball is going. It definitely was a wake-up call for us, and we responded well."
Saint Louis quickly tied the match in the 63rd minute on a corner kick. Kirchhoff roofed a shot from two yards after Cole had flicked Davis' serve in front of the net. The goal ended a Saint Louis scoreless streak in NCAA tournament play of 325 minutes stretching back to a first round match against Illinois-Chicago in 1999.
"I was picking up the trash in front," Kirchhoff said. "Brad hit a great ball. It got knocked around and landed in front of me. I just hit it and ran."
Davis won the game in the 83rd minute. After a quick clearance by junior forward Jack Jewsbury to national Player of the Year candidate Dipsy Selolwane, the senior striker sent a crisp through ball to Davis. The sophomore midfielder separated from the last UMKC defender, drew 'Roos keeper Beau Williams out of his net and beat him to the near post from four yards.
"We weren't unlucky although we seemed to have the better of the play," Davis said. "If we kept playing, I figured that we'd get one. I've known a lot of those UMKC guys for a long time, and we knew it would be a battle."
The Billikens dominated a scoreless first half by out-shooting the 'Roos 9-0. Saint Louis had six legitimate opportunities but was thwarted by Williams and his defense. Kirchhoff had the first chance of the day from 18 yards, but Williams stopped it easily. Davis spun free at the six-yard line in the 16th minute, and Williams dived to his right to make the save. Selolwane tested Williams less than a minute later, and Williams was equal to the task. Jewsbury was twice denied by the UMKC defense as his shot off Selolwane's rebound was cleared off the 'Roos line, and his header off Davis' corner kick in the 40th minute hit the bottom of the cross bar, came straight down and was cleared away. Williams also was sharp on Mike Hill's drive from the top of the area in the 32nd minute.
Saint Louis out-shot the 'Roos 19-5 and had a 7-4 edge in corner kicks. Politis made only one save, while Williams posted nine stops.
"I don't think the shots were that indicative of the game today," UMKC coach Rick Benben said. "We possessed the ball, but couldn't combine well enough in the offensive third to create good opportunities. If a few things had bounced our way, we could have won."
The Billikens improved to 17-1-0, while UMKC's season ended at 12-7-1. Saint Louis expects to host Loyola (Md.) on Sat., Dec. 1, at Hermann Stadium. The Greyhounds eliminated Maryland 1-0 in double overtime.
SAINT LOUIS 2, UMKC 1
UMKC 55:43 Drew Perkins 2-yd deflection from Larry Scheller
SLU 62:32 Brad Davis
SLU 83:39 Davis 4-yds off break-in from Jack Jewsbury
Shots: SLU-19, UMKC-5 Corners: SLU-7, UMKC-4 Saves: SLU-1 (Politis-1), UMKC-10 (Williams-9, Team-1) Fouls: SLU-16, UMKC-17 Att: 3,476
