Bloomington, Ind. - nt Louis Hermann Trophy candidate John DiRaimondo scored twice and assisted on two other goals as the Billikens routed No. 16 Connecticut 5-1 this afternoon at the Indiana adidas Classic at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington. The Billikens continued their traditionally strong play in Indiana's Classic by winning the event on goal differential after Notre Dame's 5-4 overtime win over the host Hoosiers Sunday afternoon. SLU is 11-1-4 all-time at IU's Classic and has won it three times.
"It feels great to come up with that kind of result against a team that is one of the top five in the country," Billikens head coach Dan Donigan said. "We came out today with a lot of heart, passion and desire, and we never really gave them a chance. It is tough to get back into a game against an organized defensive team, which we were today, but UConn never quit. Today was just our day."
Huskies Hermann Trophy candidate and 2005 Big East Defender of the Year Julius James was called for a foul on SLU senior midfielder Casey Spiess in the fourth minute that resulted in DiRaimondo's penalty kick to put SLU on top. DiRaimondo beat UConn keeper Matt Sangeloty to the lower left corner. Off an assist from sophomore defender Calum Angus, DiRaimondo bounced a 20-yard shot inside the left post and gave SLU a 2-0 advantage in the 10th minute.
Billiken senior midfielder Alex Matteson scored his first goal of the season in the 31st minute with Spiess and DiRaimondo assisting. UConn's Sangeloty got a hand on the shot, but the ball trickled inside the right post. The Billiken defense smothered the Huskies' attack in the opening half and did not yield a shot.
After failing to score in its first two games, Saint Louis continued its offensive assault in the second half as Angus found the back of the net off DiRaimondo's corner in the 56th minute. Spiess registered the first multiple-assist game of his career with a flick on the scoring play.
The Huskies avoided the shutout when SLU keeper Nick Billman couldn't handle Akeem Priestley's line drive blast from beyond the penalty area. Billman couldn't secure the ball in his midsection, and the shot spun over his right shoulder and bounced home. Angus closed the scoring by posting his first career two-goal game in the 89th minute. Sophomore forward Dado Hamzagic played a ball into Angus, who popped a header over the UConn keeper who was caught off his line.
"We appreciated the great fan support that we got this weekend, too," Donigan said. "The number of friends, family and Billiken fans, who made the trip to support the guys, meant a lot to them."
UConn (0-2-1) did not yield more than three goals during the entire 2005 season and had not yielded four goals since Maryland turned the trick during the 2003 campaign. The Huskies ended up out-shooting the Bills 8-7, and corners were tied at 4-4. Billman finished with two saves, and UConn's Sangeloty made none.
SLU senior defender Dan Guffey was named Defensive MVP, and Matteson received the Fair Play Award. DiRaimondo, Spiess and junior midfielder Brian Grazier were selected to the All-Tournament Team.
Saint Louis (1-1-1) travels to the West Coast next weekend to challenge No. 18 Santa Clara on Fri., Sept. 8, and faces Navy on Sun., Sept. 10, at Santa Clara.
