St. Louis - Second-ranked Saint Louis scored twice within two minutes in the second half tonight to knock out Loyola (Md.) 3-0 in the third round of the NCAA Tournament before 4,027 at Robert R. Hermann Stadium. National Player of the Year candidate Dipsy Selolwane netted the game winner, and Hermann Trophy candidate Brad Davis assisted on the insurance goal to back the shutout goalkeeping of John Politis.
"We played a fantastic game and created a lot of opportunities against a very good Loyola team," Billikens head coach Dan Donigan said. "We were kind of in that zone where everything was clicking. Plus, our crowd definitely helps raise our level of play."
Selolwane popped in his 25th of the year at 53:32 to put the Billikens on top. The nation's leading goal scorer, Selolwane corralled Marty Tappel's long ball, shielded a defender and slipped an eight-yard shot underneath Loyola keeper Reb Beatty.
"Dipsy made a great run, and the ball barely got over the defender's head," Tappel said. "He had a good first touch and finished it, which he usually does."
The Billikens quickly padded the lead at 55:30 on defender Jason Cole's first goal of the year. Off Brad Davis' corner kick, Cole's diving header from four yards escaped Beatty's grasp.
"Sorbs (assistant coach Mike Sorber) has been on me all year to keep making that run and eventually I'd get one," Cole said. "Brad hit a great ball off the corner, I got my head on it and it squeaked in. That first goal makes you push a little bit harder to get that second one right away."
Jewsbury iced the game at 75:57 on a Greyhounds defensive miscue. A Loyola defender attempted to head Politis' long punt back to his keeper, but Jewsbury pounced on it and knocked it past Beatty from 15 yards.
Both teams displayed plenty of energy early and each had an opportunity within the first five minutes. Junior forward Jack Jewsbury tested Beatty from 20 yards in the second minute, but Beatty was alert. Greyhounds forward Miguel Abreu sent an 18-yard drive in the third minute that forced Politis to make a diving save to his right.
The Billikens had the better of the possession time and had the higher quality chances in an end-to-end first half that resulted in Saint Louis out-shooting Loyola 3-1. Billiken defender Jason Cole's sent a 22-yard shot sizzling past the right post in the 14th minute. Davis also was just wide with another 22-yard blast after a Loyola giveaway in the 22nd minute. Greyhounds defender Bobby von Bremen broke up David Beck's centering pass that nearly connected with a diving Mike Kirchhoff right at the goal line in the 31st minute.
"Saint Louis is explosive and has many weapons," Greyhounds coach Mark Mettrick. "They have balance with a good blend of players who are strong, technical and fast. They're the best team we've played this year."
Saint Louis out-shot the Greyhounds 14-5. Politis made three saves for his sixth shutout of the season. Beatty combined with his back-up, Nick Daly to make five saves. The Loyola defense also cleared a ball off its own line.
The third-ranked Billikens improved to 18-1-0 and expect to play at Stanford on Fri., Dec. 7 in the quarterfinals. Loyola (Md.) finished their season at 17-2-2.
SAINT LOUIS 3, LOYOLA (Md.) 0
SLU 53:32 Dipsy Selolwane 8 yds from Marty Tappel's
SLU 55:30 Brad Davis
SLU 75:57 Jack Jewsbury unassisted 15-yds on break-in
Shots: SLU-14, Loyola-5 Corners: SLU-4, Loyola-4 Saves: SLU-3 (Politis), Loyola-6 (Beatty-4, Daly-1, Team-1) Fouls: SLU-19, Loyola-11 Att: 4,027
