Saint Louis scored a pair of goals in the second half to complete a come-from-behind, 2-1 victory over Loyola Chicago Saturday night in Atlantic 10 Conference men’s soccer action at Robert R. Hermann Stadium.
SLU extends its unbeaten streak to five and moves to 5-3-1 overall and 2-0-1 in league play. The Rambers suffered their second defeat of the season and dipped to 5-2-2 and 1-2-0 in the A-10.
Loyola Chicago got on the board first with a goal in the 14th minute when Oscar Dueso collected a loose ball and fired a shot that SLU keeper Carlos Tofern got a glove on initially, but it deflected up off the crossbar, then off the left post, then over the goal line for a 1-0 Ramblers lead.
That remained the score at halftime, and SLU came out of the second-half gates quickly and tied the score just one minute into the second session. Seth Anderson raced up the left side and sent a perfect centering pass to CJ Coppola, who buried it to make the score 1-1. It was Coppola’s second goal of the season and Anderson’s team-leading third assist of the year.
SLU benefitted from a Loyola own goal for the game-winning score. A Loyola defender had possession and sent a pass back to Ramblers keeper Simon Jillson. However, Jillson lost his footing, and all he could do was watch from his stomach as the ball trickled over the goal line for the 2-1 final.
The save of the night came from Billiken midfielder Christian Buendia when he cleared a shot off his own line in the second half. SLU outshot the Ramblers 14-6, while Loyola Chicago had a 4-2 advantage in corner kicks.
The Billikens hit the road for their next two, taking on Rhode Island on Wednesday, Oct. 5, and Fordham Saturday, Oct. 8.
