Greenville, S.C. - Saint Louis freshman midfielder Will John's second game winner of the year lifted fourth-ranked Saint Louis to a 1-0 overtime victory over No. 14 Furman this afternoon at Furman's Soccer Classic at Eugene Stone III Stadium. The Billikens won their second tournament in s many weekends.

"This was an extremely hard-fought win over a really good team that was desperate for a win on their home field," head coach Dan Donigan said. "This young bunch has shown great resolve these two weekends to beat both host teams in overtime."

Furman had taken charge in the early stages of overtime, and Billiken senior defender Andy Pusateri made the defensive play of the afternoon to keep the Bills alive. With Furman star forward Clint Dempsey working the left end line, his centering pass was deflected out of bounds at the right post by the sliding Pusateri. Several Paladins were lurking in front of the goal. Pusateri was named defensive MVP.

Billiken freshman forward Vedad Ibisevic worked along the top of the Furman penalty area and found John, who rolled a shot a 15-yard shot through traffic to the left post out of the reach of Furman keeper John Hanley. John was named offensive MVP.

In a scoreless first half, the Billikens dominated the possession time and had the best of the scoring opportunities. In the opening 10 minutes, the Bills had three corner kicks and Furman keeper John Hanley had to be alert on a 25-yard blast from SLU midfielder Casey Spiess.

Billiken freshman midfielder David Peplinski had an eight-yard volley sail over the cross bar on a John DiRaimondo corner. The Bills best opportunity came in the 23rd minute when freshman John shot from 12 yards into the side netting of an open goal after a Paladins defensive miscue. A Furman defender had to step in front of Spiess' 18-yard rocket in the 28th minute to keep SLU off the board. Saint Louis out-shot the Paladins 8-3 and had a 6-0 edge in corners.

The play evened out in the second half as the game became more physical, but Saint Louis still had the better opportunities. Just five minutes in, Furman's Hanley denied SLU midfielder Kyle Hopson's 10-yard drive to the left post. Off the ensuing corner kick, John's 18-yard chip floated wide of the right post. In the 61st minute, DiRaimondo made a steal along the right flank and fired wide of the right post from 18 yards.

With the Furman defense suffering a lapse, the Paladins coughed up the ball again. DiRaimondo's serve found John in the Furman area, but his 10-yard header was high. Spiess made a long run through a tiring Paladins defense, and his 18-yard blast was knocked down by Hanley. He smothered the rebound before Vedad Ibisevic could pounce on it.

Furman had a pair of chances off restarts, but Hutton was sharp. Hutton made a game-saving stop in the 83rd minute on Furman forward Scott Hoch's header. Hutton was ready at the left post for Mark Futrell's header in the 87th minute. Hutton made three saves to record his third shutout of the season. The Bills did not allow a goal in the tournament.

Saint Louis (4-0-0) out-shot the Paladins (0-4-0) 15-7 and had a 7-3 edge in corners. Furman's Hanley made three saves.

The Billikens host Florida International on Sat., Sept. 13, at 7 p.m. in their regular-season home opener at Robert R. Hermann Stadium

#4 SAINT LOUIS 1,  #14 FURMAN  0
SLU 97:03  Will John's 16 yds from Vedad Ibisevic

Shots: SLU - 15, FU - 7 Corners: SLU - 7, FU - 3 Saves: SLU - 3 (Hutton), FU - 3 (Hanley) Fouls: SLU - 25, FU - 21 Att: 1,279