ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Four different Billikens scored as top-seeded Saint Louis defeated the fifth-seeded Duquesne Dukes, 5-0, Wednesday evening at Robert R. Hermann Stadium, to earn a spot in the Atlantic 10 Women's Soccer Championship final.
With the win, the Bills will host No. 2 La Salle Explorers on Sunday, Nov. 5 at 1 PM ET/12 PM CT with the A-10's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship on the line.
GAME DETAILS
•Hannah Sawyer scored two goals, Emily Puricelli made six saves and tied the Saint Louis career shutouts record, and the top-seeded and 21st-ranked Billikens defeated fifth-seeded Duquesne 5-0 in an Atlantic 10 Conference Women's Soccer Championship semifinal match Wednesday night at Hermann Stadium.
•The Billikens advance to the Sunday, Nov. 5, tournament final where they will play for a sixth consecutive A-10 Championship title and the league's automatic NCAA Championship bid. The opponent will be second-seeded La Salle, with kickoff at Hermann Stadium slated for noon. La Salle defeated Dayton 1-0 in overtime in its semifinal.
•SLU was a 4-0 winner over La Salle in the teams' regular-season meeting, scoring all four goals in the second half.
•The Billikens (16-2-2) extended their winning streak and shutout streak to nine games and their unbeaten streak to 15 games (13-0-2). SLU's winning streak is tied for the nation's second longest.
•Duquesne finished the season 8-8-4.
•Pressure by Emily Gaebe and Emily Groark led to a Duquesne own goal in the 21st minute that proved to be all Saint Louis would need. Hannah Sawyer curled a corner kick inside the near post in the 38th minute, and Julia Simon blocked a failed Duquesne clearance and banged home a goal in the 39th minute for a 3-0 halftime lead.
•Caroline Kelly, assisted by Izzy Luebbert and Sophia Stram, headed in the Bills' fourth goal from close range in the 47th minute. Sawyer completed her second career brace in the 75th minute, collecting a pass from Jess Preusser and beating the keeper at the far post.
•Puricelli's shutout was her ninth of the season and 38th of her career, matching Meghann Burke (1999-2002). She also took sole possession of second place on SLU's career saves list (249).
•The NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Selection Show is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 6, at 3 p.m. Central and can be viewed on ncaa.com.
SCORING SUMMARY
Own goal, 20:09, SLU 1-0; Hannah Sawyer (unassisted), 37:28, SLU 2-0; Julia Simon (unassisted), 38:14, SLU 3-0; Caroline Kelly (Izzy Luebbert, Sophia Stram), 46:57, SLU 4-0; Hannah Sawyer (Jess Preusser), 74:55, SLU 5-0
BILLIKEN NOTABLES
•The Billikens improved to 22-5-1 in A-10 Championship play overall and 8-2 in tournament semifinals. They improved their records vs. Duquesne to 12-4 overall and 8-1 at Hermann Stadium.
•Since 2016, SLU is 49-1-2 vs. A-10 opponents (regular season and tournament combined) at Hermann Stadium.
•Against all opponents, the Bills are 70-8-7 in their last 85 games at Hermann.
•Saint Louis extended its school records for consecutive shutouts (nine) and consecutive shutout minutes (830:31).
•The Billikens have allowed just one goal in 12 games (10 regular season, two tournament) vs. A-10 opponents this season.
•SLU earned advantages of 26-7 in total shots, 10-6 in shots on goal and 12-1 in corner kicks. Hannah Sawyer registered career highs of eight total shots and five shots on goal to lead the way.
•The Billikens' two assisted goals were produced by new player combinations. Saint Louis has 50 assisted goals this year, produced by 45 different player combos.
•Caroline Kelly's goal was her 10th, giving her double figures for a second consecutive season. Kelly moved into a fourth-place tie in career goals (29) and into eighth place in career points (70) on SLU's all-time lists.
•Hannah Sawyer posted her eighth and ninth goals of the season, extending her career highs in goals and points (19).
•Julia Simon tallied her third goal of the season.
•Saint Louis' three assists gave them 61 on the season, tying the school record set last year.
•Izzy Luebbert's assist was her team-high eighth of the season. Luebbert has six helpers in the last seven matches.
•Sophia Stram recorded her fourth assist of the year, while Jess Preusser picked up her second.
•In addition to tying the school record for career shutouts, Emily Puricelli registered her 64th career victory. Puricelli made her 82nd career start, taking sole possession of fifth place in Billiken history.