Nov. 10, 2007

Box Score

ST. LOUIS - No. 12 Saint Louis overcame an early 1-0 deficit and eventually rolled to a 5-1 triumph over Charlotte in Atlantic 10 Conference men's soccer action Friday night at Hermann Stadium. Junior forward Dado Hamzagic scored twice, and junior midfielder Brandon Barklage scored a goal and assisted on two others.

The win gives the Billikens (12-2-3, 8-1-0 A-10) the A-10 regular-season championship, assuring them of the top seed at next week's A-10 Tournament in Dayton, Ohio. The tournament brackets will be released tomorrow at the conclusion of Sunday's A-10 games. Charlotte, which has qualified for the tourney by virtue of being in the top six in the league standings, falls to 11-6-1 and 5-3-1 in the league.

"Obviously I am pleased with the way we reacted after being down early," Billiken coach Dan Donigan said. "That is a perfect indication of my feeling with this team, they just have character. We stayed with the game plan, and they executed it perfectly. It was an unfortunate outcome for Charlotte as they suffered through some crazy goals. I don`t think the score is indicative of how good that team really is."

Charlotte struck first in the 12th minute on a goal of a corner kick. Kent Long sent the ball in from the left side, and it curled all the way to SLU keeper Pat Disbennett who appeared to save the ball on the goal line. However, it deflected off his gloves, and the ball was called over the line to give the 49ers an early lead.

The Billikens gained momentum after manufacturing some quality scoring chances, and sophomore forward Scott Wisniewski tallied the equalizer in the 32nd minute. From the left side, Barklage sent a corner kick all the way to the far post. Parked there was Wisniewski, who athletically touched the ball into the opposite side netting and just inside the left post to knot things at 1-1. It was Wisniewski's seventh goal of the season, and his sixth in the last eight matches.

It did not take long for the Billikens to claim a lead they would not relinquish. In the 38th minute, Hamzagic benefited from a sequence built by Barklage and Brian Grazier. He collected the ball in the penalty area and let a shot go that snuck behind Charlotte starting keeper David Martin. Close to five minutes later, Hamzagic struck again. This time, he collected a feed from Kyle Patterson and ripped a shot to the far post to put the Bills up 3-1.

Hamzagic was subbed off for a breather after scoring his second goal, but his replacement picked up right where he left off. Jimmy Holmes, who came into the game having scored in five straight, made his first touch of the night beneficial. Patterson sent a cross to the right post, and Holmes was there to head the serve into the back netting. The tally gave the Bills a comfortable 4-1 lead heading into halftime.

That remained the score until Barklage scored directly off a corner kick. From the left side, he struck a perfectly-flighted ball that curled directly into the upper-right corner and out of the reach of Martin. It was Barklage's third goal of the year and his fourth point of the match.

Playing with a sizable lead, the Billikens continued their recent trend of playing a stifling defense, yielding just five shots in the match. SLU starter Pat Disbennett made a pair of saves in the shutout, while senior substitute keeper Steven Grow came on for the final four minutes but did not face a shot.

Overall, the Bills out-shot Charlotte 17-5 and held a 10-3 advantage in corner kicks. Barklage tallied a game-high five shots, and Martin made three saves for the Niners.

The Billikens return to action on Friday, Nov. 16, in the A-10 Championship semifinals against an opponent to be determined.