COLLEGE PARK, MD. - Saint Louis University men's soccer fell 1-0 to second-seeded Maryland in the third round of the NCAA Tournament this afternoon at Ludwig Field. The Terps' Domenic Mediate netted the game winner in the 95th minute in an open net after deflecting SLU goalkeeper Martin Hutton's clearance.
After a hard-fought first half that saw neither team gain real control of the game, Maryland became the aggressor and built momentum in the second half. The Terrapins out-shot the Billikens 12-2 in the second half, forcing Hutton into six saves. The most dangerous opportunity came in the 70th minute when Mediate got past Billiken defender Andy Pusateri who slipped on the slick grass. A through ball found Mediate at the top of the box where Hutton went down to collect the ball. Mediate got through the sliding keeper and dribbled closer to the goal, but by that time Pusateri and sweeper Nick Gannon had converged, and Pusateri poked the ball away before Mediate could get off a shot.
With the defensive stop, the Billikens looked like they were ready to turn the tide. Junior back Kevin Wickart served a handful of dangerous deadballs and corners into the penalty area, but all were near-misses for the Billiken offense. Early in the overtime, Mediate eluded Hutton again, but his shot hit the post and went out of play.
The third time was the charm for Mediate, who recorded five total shots on the afternoon. In the 95th minute, the Maryland midfield sent a ball behind the last two Billiken defenders just outside the box. Calling his defenders off, Hutton charged off his line to meet the ball at the top of the box, but Mediate reached the ball more quickly than Hutton anticipated and the two met a step outside the box. Unable to scoop the ball up outside his box, Hutton attempted to clear it. His strike hit Mediate directly in the chest and bounced past Hutton and toward the open net. Mediate took one more touch before burying the shot in the back of the net for the victory.
With the loss, the Billikens end their season 15-4-1 overall, while Maryland (19-4-0) advances to host Connecticut in the quarterfinals next weekend.
