Oct. 6, 2002

Final Stats

TUCSON, Ariz. - Saint Louis University women's soccer took the championship game of the Wildcat Classic with a 5-1 decision over host Arizona this afternoon. Junior Anny Lucier tallied the game winner in the 33rd minute off a deadball, but it was the crisp ball movement and ball possession that sealed the victory for SLU.

The Billikens were on the board early for the second-straight game as Christie Cigno put one in the open net in the 10th minute. Sophomore Tressa Pecher served a deadball from 25 yards out to the post where Cigno and Arizona freshman keeper Amanda Martin met in a near collision. In the commotion, the ball skipped through Martin's hands and to Cigno's feet. The Billikens' freshman midfielder settled and tapped in.

Arizona came back with 15 minutes left in the half on a Billiken defensive breakdown. As Carrie Carlson tracked the ball and UA's Traci Adler to the right corner, Lisa Kosena stood unmarked on the top right corner of the box. The Wildcats connected on the pass, and Kosena drove the ball past SLU keeper Meghann Burke to knot the game at 1-1.

Saint Louis reclaimed a lead the Bills would not relinquish on Lucier's deadball that deflected off the head of an Arizona defender and over the keeper's head. Sophomore Jamie Perry also got a fortuitous bounce on the first period's final goal. After taking a pass from Jenny Kehl outside the box on the right side, Perry lofted a shot toward the goal. The ball took a high bounce of the hard Arizona ground and sailed over Martin's head to give the Bills a 3-1 lead heading into the break.

Kehl got things rolling in the second half, stripping a UA defender on the left side of the box and putting it far post past the new Wildcats' keeper Natalie Juarez. Perry wrapped up the scoring in the 72nd minute as Ellen Gerweck's long throw-in to the far post found the sophomore striker for a header at the face of the goal.

For her effort over the two games, Perry was named tournament MVP. Burke, Pecher and Mandy Trokey joined Perry on the All-Tournament team.

The Billikens wrap up their three-game road swing with a trip to DePaul on Fri., Oct. 11, for a 3 p.m. game.