Amherst, Mass. - No. 9 (NSCAA) Saint Louis scored three first-half goals en route to a 3-1 victory over host Massachusetts in Atlantic 10 Conference men's soccer action on Friday at Rudd Field. With the win, the Billikens extend their unbeaten streak to nine matches. In addition, SLU enhances its chances of claiming one of the top two seeds in next week's A-10 Tournament, which would result in a first round bye.
"Including last weekend's win at Temple, we have strung together two good outings, which is encouraging as we prepare for the A-10 Tournament," Billiken head coach Dan Donigan said. "We played well for 90 minutes today, and we did a much better job of finishing our opportunities."
Saint Louis (11-3-2, 7-0-1 A-10) benefitted from an aggressive offensive attack early in the match. Through the first 20 minutes of action, the Billikens held a 6-0 advantage in corner kicks and generated plenty of chances before breaking into the scoring column in the 23rd minute.
Senior midfielder Calum Angus. Eyeing Casey Spiess, Angus sent a pass to the near post, which Spiess headed into the top right corner for his third goal of the season.
Several minutes later, DiRaimondo made it 2-0. Continuing its offensive pressure, Saint Louis drew a foul just outside the box. DiRaimondo bended the subsequent free kick over the wall and into the top left netting for his team-leading fourth tally of the year.
Freshman Kyle Hayes put home his third goal of the year late in the first half. Off quick touches from Spiess and freshman midfielder Tim Ream, Hayes fired a shot that UMass keeper Zack Simmons managed to get a hand on, but momentum carried the ball across the goal line for a 3-0 Billiken advantage. It was Ream's first collegiate point and the third point of the game for Spiess.
Meanwhile, the Billikens demonstrated their balance by smothering any attempt by UMass (8-7-3, 2-5-1 A-10) to get on the board. The Minutemen did not get a shot on goal in the first session, as they were out-shot 6-1 and lost the corner kick battle 7-1.
It wasn't until the Billikens made a late keeper change in the second half that the UMass offense got rolling. Senior keeper Nick Billman, who transferred to SLU after spending the previous three seasons with the Minutemen, entered the contest for Ross Kaufman and was tested quickly into his appearance. Sophomore Mike DeSantis was awarded a penalty kick in the 72nd minute, which was stoned by Billman. However, DeSantis smartly followed his shot and fired the loose rebound past Billman to slim the Billiken lead to 3-1. Billman and the SLU defense fought off several more attempts late in the match to preserve the 3-1 triumph.
In all, SLU out-shot the Minutemen 9-4 and held a 9-1 advantage in corner kicks.
The Billikens conclude their regular season schedule when they travel to Rhode Island on Sun., Oct. 29, in a noon (CT) contest.
