Milwaukee - Saint Louis midfielder John DiRaimondo scored twice as the fourth-ranked Billikens blanked Marquette 3-0 in the Conference USA opener for both teams tonight before 906 fans at Valley Fields. Freshman goalkeeper Pat Disbennett made four saves to post a shutout in his first career start.

Saint Louis jumped on top at 3:03 on Will John's six-yard goal off a corner kick. Junior midfielder Danny Wynn struck the corner, and senior defender Brett Branan flicked it to John unmarked at the left post. John beat Golden Eagles keeper Andy Kroll with a side-volley.

Disbennett made three outstanding saves to protect the lead. Disbennett stoned MU senior forward Chris Lee on a break-in in the sixth minute and dived to his right to snag midfielder Blair Kohlmeyer's 12-yard backheel in the 28th minute. In a flurry around the SLU goal in the 33rd minute, a Billiken defender blocked Kohlmeyer's shot, and Disbennett denied Eagles midfielder Matt Marone's rebound attempt.

DiRaimondo notched an insurance goal at 68:10. Junior midfielder Ryan Wileman's perfect pass found DiRaimondo streaking down the right flank. The sophomore midfielder made no mistake from 10 yards. DiRaimondo ended any suspense with a breakaway at 85:52 with John collecting the assist.

The Billikens out-shot Marquette (0-2-0, overall 0-1-0 C-USA) 9-8 and enjoyed a 4-1 edge on corners. Kroll made three stops for the Eagles.

Saint Louis (2-0-0 overall, 1-0-0 C-USA) returns to Robert R. Hermann Stadium next weekend to host its own Nike Classic. The Billikens host 12th-ranked SMU on Fri., Sept. 10, at 7:30 p.m. and No. 11 Virginia on Sun., Sept. 12, at 3 p.m.

#4 SAINT LOUIS 3, MARQUETTE 0
SLU  3:03  Will John 6 yds from Brett Branan, Danny Wynn
SLU  68:10  John DiRaimondo 10 yds from Ryan Wileman
SLU  85:52  DiRaimondo breakaway from John

Shots: SLU - 9, MU - 8
Corners: SLU - 4, MU - 1
Saves: SLU - 4 (Disbennett), MU - 0 (Kroll)
Fouls: SLU - 111, MU - 12
Att:  906