Nov. 2, 2007

Box Score

ST. LOUIS - Junior midfielder Kyle Patterson scored three-straight goals in 2 minutes, 31 seconds to punctuate an 8-0 victory for the No. 11 Billikens against Saint Joseph`s in Atlantic 10 Conference men's soccer action Friday night at Robert R. Hermann Stadium. The 2:31 it took Patterson to score the natural hat trick is the second-fastest sequence in NCAA history.

With the win, the Billikens remain atop the A-10 standings with a 6-1-0 league record, 10-2-3 overall. Saint Joseph's, which came into tonight's match in a tie for second in the A-10, dips to 5-9-1 overall and 4-2-0 in A-10 play.

"When you build a lead like we did, it is real easy to become complacent and sit back, but we didn't," Billiken head coach Dan Donigan said. "We were able to give quality minutes to some guys, and they responded by keeping the intensity level up. This a great win for us, but now we need to focus and attempt to do the same on Sunday against Temple."

Sophomore forward Scott Wisniewski continued his hot scoring stretch when he tallied the game's first goal in the 15th minute. He corralled a Brian Grazier feed, and raced into the box and unleashed a drive from 15 yards. The ball snuck behind SJU starting keeper Bryan Benedict and over the goal line for an early 1-0 margin, and a sign of what to come.

Patterson's first goal came at 28:02, but much of the credit is due to sophomore forward Jimmy Holmes. On the left side of the penalty area, Holmes forced Benedict out of position and held onto the ball just long enough for Patterson to get set. With a wide open goal in front of him, Patterson one-timed the perfect feed into the net for a 2-0 Billiken advantage.

Patterson made it 3-0 just 1:24 later. This time, Wisniewski sent a ball in from the middle that Patterson buried. Then, 57 seconds later, freshman midfielder Beau Bellomy sent a through ball that Patterson corralled and scored on to secure the natural hat trick in 2:31.

The fastest three-consecutive goals scored record by an individual player was 2:15 by John Stone, who accomplished the feat for SIU Edwardsville in 1985. Patterson's natural hat trick is the first since Vedad Ibisevic scored four-straight goals on Nov. 14, 2003. The last Billiken hat trick came in 2005, when Larry Geraghty turned the trick against St. Joe's.

"I have to give credit to my teammates," Patterson said. "They did most of the work, and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

"This was a great showing for Kyle," Donigan said. "He was a benefactor of some great individual efforts to create those opportunities. To his credit, he did get on the end of those and finished them off."

A Calum Angus penalty kick later in the half made it 5-0, and that was the score entering the second half. The Billikens played only three of their original starters at the start of the second frame, but the Bills kept scoring.

Bellomy scored 1:11 into the stanza after a long run up the left side. Streaking up the left flank from the midfield, he curled in before reaching the endline and ran straight on to the keeper, beating him high for his third goal of the season.

It was another sound individual effort that gave the Billikens a 7-0 lead. Freshman forward Charles Bryce found himself alone in the box, and ripped a shot that SJU substitute keeper Mark McBride stopped. Bryce followed his rebound, let go another shot, but once again McBride stood his ground. It wasn't until the third rebound that Bryce snuck one past McBride, and in doing so delivering the freshman forward his first collegiate goal.

Holmes tacked on a late penalty kick goal, his fourth tally in as many games. The eight goals scored for the Billikens is a season-high, and the most they have scored since 2005 when they again topped SJU 8-0 at Hermann Stadium.

Not to be lost in the scoring barrage was the steady play of senior keeper Pat Disbennett. He came in at halftime for SLU starter Ross Kaufman, his first game action since undergoing facial reconstruction surgery after a collision with a North Carolina State player in the second game of the year.

Disbennett had to be sharp to preserve the shutout. Midway through the second half, SJU's Tom Johnson ripped a free kick from 25 yard destined for the upper left corner, but Disbennett was there to eliminate the threat.

In the 62nd minute, Disbennett stood his ground twice. Patrick Duddy was awarded a penalty kick, and Disbennett stoned him. He then stopped Duddy's rebound attempt at point-blank range. In all, he made four saves in the shutout.

The Billikens return to Hermann Stadium on Sunday when they face Temple in a 1 p.m. contest. Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for children, and can be purchased the day of the game at the ticket gates surrounding Hermann Stadium.