St. Louis - Northern Illinois posted its second straight shutout by blanking Saint Louis1-0 tonight in a non-conference men's soccer match before 1,413 fans at Robert R. Hermann Stadium. Huskies defender Steve Algozino's header in the seventh minute proved to be the winner.

"I can't begin to explain the depth of my disappointment in this result," Billikens head coach Dan Donigan said. "In the last two matches, we haven't played the type of soccer that honors the legacy of this program. We will change that, and that's a promise."

Despite Saint Louis controlling the possession time and the game's tempo, the Huskies jumped on top on their first shot of the match. After a Billiken foul just inside the midfield stripe, Huskies midfielder Jose Alvarado drilled the free kick into the Billiken penalty area where Algozino redirected the ball past SLU keeper Pat Disbennett.

The Billikens had two outstanding chances to tie the game in the second half. Freshman midfielder Dado Hamzagic jumped on a UNI defensive miscue in the 69th minute to create a one-on-one against Huskies keeper Steve Goletz, but Goletz charged out and blocked Hamzagic's 16-yard shot. Hamzagic nearly created another opportunity when he took the ball to the end line at the right post and dropped a pass to freshman forward Kyle Patterson in the front of an open net, but the pass was just off the mark.

The Billikens out-shot Northern Illinois (5-2-1) 13-7 and had an 8-2 edge in corner kicks. UNI's Goletz made six saves to post the shutout. Making his first start of the regular season after sitting out five matches with a foot injury, SLU's Disbennett made two stops.

Saint Louis (2-4-1) returns to Robert R. Hermann Stadium on Sat., Oct. 1, for its Homecoming match with Michigan. Kickoff is 7 p.m.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS 1, SAINT LOUIS 0
NIU  6:30  Steve Algozino 14-yd header from Jose Alvarado

Shots: SLU - 13, UNI - 7 Corners: SLU - 8, UNI - 2 Saves: SLU - 2 (Disbennett), UNI - 6 (Goletz) Fouls: SLU - 12, UNI - 8 Att: 1,413