EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Evansville scored in the final minute of double overtime to upset No. 5 Saint Louis 2-1 Wednesday night in non-conference men's soccer action at McCutchan Stadium.
SLU (3-1) got a goal from junior midfielder Raymond Lee in the 22nd minute, but Evansville (2-2-1) notched the equalizer early in the second half. The Purple Aces won it on a Mark Gonzalez golden goal with 34 seconds remaining in the second overtime session.
“Obviously this was a disappointing loss for us, especially in the way it ended,” SLU head coach Mike McGinty said. “Our guys played really hard, everybody fought the entire match. Credit to Evansville for coming away with the win. Both teams competed, played hard and created chances. The way it ended was heartbreaking, but there were a lot of lessons we'll take from this moving forward.”
Lee's goal was his first of the season. He collected a loose ball after an Evansville defensive miscue and, from just inside the penalty area, fired into the upper left corner to make it 1-0.
The Billikens led by the same score at halftime, but Evansville equalized just 3:03 into the second session with UE's Jared Robinson scored. He collected a loose ball in the box and chipped it over SLU keeper Nick Shackelford.
Gonzalez's won it when he buried a shot off a Nate Opperman feed at the 109:26 mark.
Shackelford recorded nine saves, one off his career high.
Saint Louis returns to Hermann Stadium this Saturday for a matchup against Denver. Game time is slated for 7 p.m. Fans are reminded to arrive early to take advantage of $2 beer and hotdog specials from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
