Oct. 28, 2007

Box Score

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Saint Louis sophomore forward Scott Wisniewski scored the first of three second-half goals to lift the 15th-ranked Billikens to a 3-1 victory over George Washington in an Atlantic 10 Conference matchup Sunday afternoon at Mt. Vernon Field. Junior midfielder Kyle Patterson netted the game winner, and sophomore back Tim Ream validated a strong defensive effort with a career-high two assists.

With the victory, the Billikens move to 9-2-3 overall and 5-1-0 in the A-10. They remain atop the A-10 standings with 15 points, though they do have a game up on the next three teams. George Washington falls to 7-7-1 and 1-3-1 in the league.

"We played a great second half of soccer today," Billiken head coach Dan Donigan said. "Despite being down 1-0, the guys kept their composure and relied on the fact that if they kept plugging, things would come around. A lot of guys contributed in putting together the scoring sequences, and everyone in the lineup deserves credit for this result."

The Billikens were forced to overcome an early deficit as GW opened the scoring in the 37th minute when Joachim Walker connected on a header for his first goal of the year. Mike Briscoe threw a bouncing ball in from the right side, and Walker put himself in a nice position to deflect the ball into the lower right corner to give the Colonials the 1-0 advantage.

The goal came after several SLU attempts that were just off the mark. Ream put a shot on goal that was stopped by GW keeper Greg Yahr. The Billikens continued to attack, and at the 33:44 mark, Patterson ripped a shot that beat the keeper but rang off the goal post.

The GW lead was short-lived, however, as Wisniewski equalized 1:12 into the second session. After taking a pass from senior midfielder Brian Grazier, Wisniewski switched to the left foot and launched a shot from just inside the penalty area that snuck past Lahr and into the lower left corner. It was Wisniewski's fourth of the year, and his third tally in five games. Grazier was credited with an assist on the play, his first helper of the year.

Patterson put the Billikens on top in the 64th minute on a goal set up by Ream. After a run up the left flank, he served a ball into the penalty area. Patterson fought off several defenders for positioning, and one-touched the perfectly-flighted cross over the goal line for the 2-1 advantage. Patterson's tally was his team-leading sixth of the season, while Ream picked up his second assist on the year.

For the third time in as many games, SLU sophomore forward Jimmy Holmes gave the Billikens some breathing room after scoring an insurance tally. Ream and Wisniewski, who were both credited with assists on the scoring marker, contributed to the build-up. Ream carried the ball up the left flank, and again sent a perfect serve into the box. Wisniewski collected the pass, realized he couldn't get a shot off, and left the ball for Holmes who buried a strike to deliver the 3-1 final.

Overall, the Colonials had a 17-11 advantage in shots and an 8-4 edge in corner kicks. SLU keeper Ross Kaufman made three saves, while Lahr stopped two shots.

The Billikens are back at Robert R. Hermann Stadium next Friday when they host Saint Joseph's at 7 p.m. The match against the Hawks begins a three-game home stand to end the regular season. SLU hosts Temple on Sunday, Nov. 4, and Charlotte on Saturday, Nov. 10.