St. Louis - No. 1 seed Saint Louis eliminated No. 4 seed Dayton tonight in penalty kicks after the Billikens and Flyers played to a 1-1 overtime draw in a semifinal match at the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament before 1,302 at Robert R. Hermann Stadium tonight. The Bills won the shootout 5-4 and will face No. 3 seed Rhode Island Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. (CT).
Saint Louis senior midfielder Ryan Wileman converted on the Billikens fifth and final penalty kick in the shootout to push the Bills to the title match. SLU senior keeper Jeff Sackman stopped Flyers midfielder Terry Alvino on Dayton's third chance in the shootout to open the door for Wileman's clincher.
"It was a fairy tale game for those two seniors," Billikens head coach Dan Donigan said. "When coaches talk about big-game experience and delivering in the clutch, that's what we're talking about. This was a tremendous result for us, because that was as tough, intense game as we've been in all season."
Saint Louis struck first with 3.8 seconds left in the first half. After a 70-yard run by SLU senior defender Danny Wynn earned a corner kick with time winding down, A-10 Offensive Player of the Year Calum Angus poked a four-yard shot through the legs of Dayton keeper Nick Tarkany to give the Bills a 1-0 lead.
Both teams had several legitimate scoring opportunities in the first session. Dayton's Omar Jarun had two chances in a row in the 12th minute. His header off a corner kick was stopped by SLU's Sackman, and Jarun tapped a shot of the post a minute later. After a strong build-up on the left flank in the 34th minute, SLU's Wileman drilled a 22-yard shot toward the left post that Tarkany dived to get a hand on. Dado Hamzagic broke in alone in the 41st minute but was also stoned by Tarkany.
Dayton nearly tied the game 10 minutes into the second half when Nate Darr headed a ball past Sackman, but the goal was waved off as the Flyers were offside on the play. Dangerous all night on corners and free kicks, Jarun got the Flyers on the board in the 62nd minute when Damion Blackburn sent a serve into the box off a restart. Jarun flicked it from 12 yards past Sackman to knot the game 1-1.
With seven minutes remaining in regulation, DiRaimondo managed a shot from 15 yards that was stopped by Tarkany. Patterson was in position for the rebound, but knocked a shot from point-blank range off the post. Neither team managed any legitimate chances in the two overtime sessions.
Overall, the Billikens outshot Dayton 18-11 and held a 9-7 advantage in corner kicks. Tarkany registered nine saves in the game, while his SLU's Sackman managed five stops.
In the first match tonight, third-seeded Rhode Island upset No. 2 seed Duquesne 2-1 in overtime to advance to the title game. Sunday's title game will be nationally televised by CSTV on a delayed basis at 7 p.m. (CT).
Saint Louis 1, Dayton 1 (OT)
-Saint Louis advances on PKs 5-4
SLU 44:57 Calum Angus unassisted off a corner kick
UD 61:46 Omar Jarun 12-yd flick off Damion Blackburn free kick
Shots: SLU - 18, UD - 11 Corners: SLU - 6, UD - 7 Saves: SLU - 5 (Sackman-5), UD - 10 (Tarkany-9/Team-1) Fouls: SLU - 12, UD - 22 Att: 1,302
