The No. 1 seed in the Atlantic 10 Conference (A10), SLU women’s soccer team took down the No. 4 seed, St. Joseph University (SJU), with a 2-0 win in the semi-final round of the conference championship tournament on Nov. 6. Both teams have held impressive records this season.
The energy from both teams from start to finish was electric as the two hoped to advance to championship game play on Nov. 10. The Billikens starting lineup consisted of Emily Puricelli, Lucie Schwartz, Hope Kim, Julia Simon, Hannah Larson, Katie Houck, Izzy Luebbert, Sophia Stram Elise Le, Heckel and Gaebe.
The Billikens had a quick start; both teams continued to commit penalties until the game ended, SLU with 10 fouls and SJU with 12. Both teams were determined to make it to the championship and those ambitions were not lost in their playing style. It was a defensive game for both the Billikens and the Hawks, but the real game-changer for SLU was their relenting offense.
During the 90-minute contest, the Billikens were able to take 22 shots and SJU’s only taking 9 shots, none of which resulted in a goal. SLU however was able to fight off the Hawk’s defense to score two goals which ultimately bought them their ticket to the conference championship.
The first Billiken goal was scored in the middle of the first half by red-shirt junior Julia Simon with the assist from red-shirt freshman Lucie Schwartz and freshman Kim. In the second half, Offensive Player of the Year, Gaebe broke through three defenders to score the Billikens second goal of the match with the assist from Le and red-shirt senior Larson. This was Gaebe’s 13th goal of the season and 45th as a Billiken.
In the final minutes of the game, junior Luebbert was brought to the ground after a collision with a player on SJU’s team. After being taken off the field by the team’s medical staff, it was reported that she is on crutches and likely will not be playing in the championship game.
Many people from the SLU community showed up to support the women’s soccer team including President Fred Pestello and his wife Fran Pestello, members of the Church Clergy, and a multitude of other varsity athletic team members such as the men’s soccer team, both the men’s and women’s swim and dive teams along with others.
When asked why he thinks so many sports team gathered to cheer on the women’s soccer team, men’s swim and dive A10 freshman of the week, Noah Benton said, “I think it is important to come together to support fellow college athletes because you know how much work and dedication goes into their preparation, and it is always good to appreciate that work.”
Players on both teams have received accolades for the players in their teams. SLU’s Emily Gaebe won A10 Offensive Player of the Year and Lyndsey Heckel received Defensive Player of the Year. On the other side, St. Joseph’s Katie Cappelletti won A10 Goalkeeper of the Year honors.
If you missed last night’s action, there is still an opportunity to see SLU fight for what would be their 7th straight A10 Conference Championship on Nov. 10 at Hermann Stadium. Cheer on the Billikens Sunday at noon in their championship game against No. 3 ranked University of Massachusetts.