CHARLOTTE, N.C. - No. 5 seed Saint Louis topped fourth-seeded St. Bonaventure 2-1 Friday in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Conference Men's Soccer Championship. The Billikens now face No. 2 La Salle Friday at 4:30 p.m. (CT), with a berth into Sunday's A-10 title match on the line.
SLU moves to 9-6-3 overall with the victory and keeps its six-match unbeaten streak intact. St. Bonaventure's season comes to a close with a 10-8-1 record.
The winner of tomorrow's Billikens/La Salle matchup will face the winner of the other semifinal, No. 1 Charlotte vs. No. 6 Xavier, Sunday at noon (CT).
"It wasn't the prettiest game," Billikens head coach Mike McGinty said. "When you get into the playoffs, both teams know they have to go for it and they are going to be up for the challenge. We expected a tight game and St. Bonaventure didn't disappoint. They came out in the second half, scored a goal and made things interesting."
The Billikens got on the board in the 29th minute on a St. Bonaventure own goal, as a Bonnies defender deflected the ball into his own net on a failed clearance.
Junior midfielder Jake Brown earned the assist on the play after keeping possession near the goal line despite two SBU defenders nearby. From the right side, Brown found Johnston for his third goal in as many games to give the Billikens a 2-0 advantage, a lead they would carry into halftime.
Johnston's goal proved pivotal as SBU got on the scoreboard early in the second half. Kolby Banker scored for the Bonnies with Fabrizio Savarino assisting on the play to make it a 2-1 game.
But that is as close as St. Bonaventure would get as the SLU defense withstood several late Bonnies chances to hold on for the 2-1 victory. Sophomore keeper Mark Pais made four saves for the Billikens.
