SAINT LOUIS — Playing to a 1-1 draw in regulation and overtime, No. 1 seed Saint Louis won a thrilling penalty kick shootout, 5-4, over No. 3 Dayton to secure the 2025 Atlantic 10 Men’s Soccer Championship title at Hermann Stadium on Sunday.
The Billikens earned the Atlantic 10’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with the victory and will find out its opponent and seeding tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET. The NCAA Tournament selection show will be live streamed Monday on NCAA.com.
The win marked Saint Louis’ third A-10 Championship title since 2020 and fifth all-time, ending a two-year streak from defending champion Dayton.
After scoring three goals in the Flyers’ first two A-10 Championship wins, Dayton junior Martin Bakken remained impactful from the opening whistle. The midfielder ripped a shot at the corner of the goal in the 12th minute, but the ball ricocheted hard off the post to keep the game scoreless.
The Flyers controlled possession in the first half, recording five shots while preventing a single shot attempt from Saint Louis. Dayton broke through in the 40th minute, as sophomore defender Dren Drobruna found teammate Miles Bonham on a free kick for the latter’s first goal of the season, sending the Flyers to halftime with a 1-0 lead.
Both goalkeepers made several strong saves in the second half, but the Billikens finally found the net in the 82nd minute. After having his shot thwarted just a few seconds earlier, Saint Louis freshman Theo Franca converted on the ensuing second opportunity, tying the match 1-1.
Franca nearly ended the game in regulation, but Dayton goalkeeper Gavin Krenecki sent the game to extra time with another rejection.
Neither team could muster a shot on goal in the first overtime period, but Saint Louis goalkeeper Jeremi Abonnel made three stops in the second overtime period. Abonnel started the ensuing penalty shootout in spectacular fashion for the Billikens, making a diving save on Dayton’s first attempt.
Quinten Blair gave Saint Louis an advantage by making his penalty attempt. Both teams traded successful shots from there, finding the back of the net on each ensuing kick. Abonnel even got in on the action offensively, making the Billikens’ fourth attempt. With a chance to put the championship away, Saint Louis midfielder Tanner Anderson netted the final kick to clinch the match.
Dayton outshot Saint Louis 15-11 on Sunday, with Abonnel and Krenecki making four saves each. Franca paced the Billikens offensively with four shots, including the tying goal in regulation.
Abonnel was named the 2025 A-10 Men’s Soccer Championship Most Outstanding Player, allowing just one goal across three postseason games. Saint Louis teammates Blair, Anderson, Franca and Xavi O’Neal joined Abonnel on the All-Championship Team, as well as Dayton’s Miles Bonham, Martin Bakken, Dren Dobruna, Andrew Armstrong and Paul Yeboah. Fordham freshman Daniel Lang also received All-Championship accolades.
All-Championship Team
Andrew Armstrong, Dayton
Martin Bakken, Dayton
Miles Bonham, Dayton
Dren Drobruna, Dayton
Paul Yeboah, Dayton
Daniel Lang, Fordham
Jeremi Abonnel, Saint Louis (Most Outstanding Player)
Tanner Anderson, Saint Louis
Quinten Blair, Saint Louis
Theo Franca, Saint Louis
Xavi O’Neil, Saint Louis