ST. LOUIS, Mo. – An early fifth minute connection between John Klein and CJ Coppola proved the decisive difference for top-seeded Saint Louis (11-4-1) in the Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer quarterfinals, as the Billikens fought off a resilient effort from No. 8 Massachusetts (7-4-7) via a 1-0 final mark Friday evening at Robert R. Hermann Stadium.
 
With the field re-seeded following the Quarterfinal Round, SLU will now host the lowest remaining seed in the A-10 Men's Soccer Championship bracket on Wednesday, Nov. 9, kickoff slated for 8 pm ET / 7 pm CT at Robert R. Hermann Stadium in St. Louis, Mo.

The Saint Louis offense required little time to find the back of the net early in the opening half, as Klein managed to manuever a perfect cross to the far post just five minutes into the matchup; the soft touch and high arc from the senior forward paid off, allowing an unmarked Coppola to slice in for a sharp header and the quick Billikens advantage.

In spite of the one-goal edge, SLU continued to batter the UMass keeper Matt Zambetti throughout the first period, utilizng the extreme wind conditions blowing south to north in Hermann Stadium to consistently drive play into the Minutemen's box. Overall, the Billikens compiled 13 shots of their total 18 shots during the opening 45 minutes, finishing with seven on goal.

Oppositely, the Massachusetts offense had its opportunity with the wind-driven half of the pitch, logging 10 of the team's 11 shots during the latter period with four requiring SLU keeper Carlos Tofern to make a save.