Saint Louis University’s women’s soccer team claimed the Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season championship on Sunday afternoon, posting a 2-0 victory at Duquesne to lock up the league’s top seed and full hosting rights for the upcoming conference tournament.
The Billikens improved to 11-2-4 overall and 7-0-2 in A-10 play with the result. It marked their eighth regular-season crown as an A-10 member and the program’s 10th overall. The win also pushed SLU’s current winning streak to three games and its unbeaten stretch to nine, while the team remained perfect on the road at 5-0-4.
Saint Louis seized control almost immediately. Less than a minute into the match, Hope Kim collected the ball near midfield, advanced down the right flank into the penalty area, and crossed for Adee Broesder, who finished from close range to open the scoring. The Billikens doubled the lead early in the second half off a set piece. Caroline Fowlkes delivered a corner that Caroline Chier redirected with a header, and Audrey Smith finished the sequence with a sliding effort inside the near post.
Goalkeeper Pepper Escher made three saves to record her seventh shutout of the season—the team’s ninth clean sheet overall. SLU dictated the tempo throughout, generating a 25-10 advantage in total shots and a season-high 15-3 edge in shots on goal while also winning the corner-kick battle 7-4.
Smith continued her strong campaign, moving to a team-leading nine goals and 20 points. Kim took sole possession of the assists lead with six, and Broesder scored her third goal of the year, her first game-winner of the season. The two goals came from previously unused combinations, continuing a pattern in which the Billikens have shown considerable attacking variety.
Under 14th-year head coach Katie Shields, the program has been a consistent force in the Atlantic 10, particularly since 2018. Sunday’s result gave SLU its seventh regular-season title in that span and preserved the possibility of another undefeated conference record. The Billikens also extended their series dominance over Duquesne, improving to 15-4 all-time and stretching a six-game winning streak (five of them shutouts).
Duquesne fell to 5-8-4 overall and 2-4-3 in league play. With the regular-season title secured, Saint Louis turns its attention to the final week of the schedule. The Billikens host Rhode Island at 7 p.m. Saturday at Hermann Stadium on Senior Night before shifting focus to the A-10 Championship, which they will host beginning the first weekend of November.
