Nov. 7, 2008

Box Score

ST. LOUIS - Regular-season champion and top-seeded Charlotte scored a goal in each half and defeated Saint Louis 2-0 Friday night in the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship semifinals at Robert R. Hermann Stadium.

Charlotte, which is ranked among the top 30 nationally in three polls, improved to 16-3-1. The 49ers will meet Dayton, a 2-1 winner over Fordham in the other semifinal, in the title game Sunday at 1 p.m. (CT). The winner receives the A-10's automatic NCAA Tournament bid.

Saint Louis concluded its season with an 11-6-4 record, marking the 11th time in the 13-year history of the program the Billikens have won at least 10 games. SLU, which collected 10 shutouts on the season, entered the tournament as the No. 4 seed after posting a 6-4-1 conference record.

Charlotte drew first blood in the 17th minute when Hailey Beam and Whitney Weinraub teamed up. Weinraub sent a pass from the right flank into the box to a waiting Beam, who fired a 16-yard shot past Saint Louis goalkeeper Hannah Perry into the top right corner at 16:01. The goal was Beam's league-leading 16th of the season, while Weinraub notched her 10th helper of the year.

Each team had several offensive rushes in the first half, but just six shots were launched with Charlotte holding a 5-1 edge. Beam's marker was the only shot on goal for either squad.

The 49ers took command in the second half and eventually tallied an insurance goal that provided the final score. On a corner kick, Sam Huecker flighted the ball to the far post, where Danielle Mayeaux was waiting at the doorstep to head it in for her fifth goal of the season at 64:59. Huecker picked up her 12th assist.

Led by Mayeaux's five shots, Charlotte registered a 12-3 advantage in that category. Perry made two saves for the Billikens, while 49ers keeper Lauren Brown had one save. Charlotte also recorded an 8-2 edge in corner kicks.

The Billikens played without leading scorer Julia Bradenberg, who suffered an injury in the closing seconds of SLU's 2-1 first-round win over St. Bonaventure on Thursday.