Seven consecutive Atlantic 10 championships weighed on the minds of every Saint Louis University player, coach, staff member and fan heading into the highly anticipated semifinal on Nov. 5, 2025, against the University of Rhode Island (URI).
With expectations as loud as the fans themselves, the Billikens looked to continue their dominance in the conference. But after a strong season of soccer, URI outscored the Billikens 4-2, marking an end to the 2025 season.
Although the Billikens’ title streak ended, there were several positives to build on from the season as a whole.
The 2025 season began on August 14 with a 4-0 win against the University of Missouri-Kansas City, including a goal from sophomore Lucie Schwartz and three assists from senior defender Izzy Luebbert.
Next up was Penn State, a challenging matchup that caused SLU their first loss of the season. However, they were able to regain momentum from the first game and win at home against Mizzou with an early goal in the fifth minute from senior Rylee Howard.
What followed was three wins against Indiana, Missouri State, and SIUE, but it was not until the conference games began that SLU began to take charge.
Their first five conference games saw SLU victorious. Redshirt senior Julia Simon scored a left-footed shot in the box to put the Billikens on the board against Davidson. Luebbert quickly followed with another goal, leading the team to a 2-0 victory.
Next, they took a 2-1 win over VCU as well as George Washington, a 4-0 shutout against La Salle, a strong 5-0 win against Saint Joseph’s and a 2-1 win over Duquesne.
A loss against Dayton ended this streak, but SLU remained among the conference’s top teams. They came back from the loss and gained two more wins, with Simon scoring a hat trick against URI and Luebbert scoring a goal against Fordham.
Senior night, SLU’s last game before the A-10 championship, was against Loyola Chicago (LUC) on Oct. 26. The game ended in a 0-0 draw, with Billikens heading into the championship ranked No. 2. After the game, head coach Katie Shields talked about what her team needed to do to prepare for the playoffs.
“For us, I think, we have to get sharper in all phases of the attack for us to be prepared for playoff soccer. So, confident, we will be ready to go on Saturday but definitely some work to do before then,” Shields said in a post-game interview.
The Billikens faced LUC once again, this time in the A-10 playoffs. SLU did not only walk away with a win, but with a record-setting 6-0 win, with six different players scoring a goal.
Up next was URI in the semi-finals. In the 11th minute, Hannah Larson cleverly dribbled around the opposing team’s keeper to net the first goal of the game, giving the Billikens an early lead. After maintaining the lead for the majority of the half, URI was able to get one back, leveling the score.
URI took the lead in the 53rd minute, but SLU came back in the 62nd minute with a goal from Simon. The opposing team was able to net two more goals past the Billikens, gaining a win and a place in the A-10 final.
SLU ended with a 14-4-2 overall record and an 8-1-1 record in the conference. They were the second most winning team behind Dayton.
Although not the ending to the season SLU women’s soccer hoped for, the team aims to come back stronger and regain the A-10 title next year.