SAINT LOUIS — Led by two goals from junior forward Lauren McDonald, No. 4 seed Rhode Island upset No. 2 seed Saint Louis in a thrilling Atlantic 10 Women’s Soccer Championship Semifinal match on Wednesday night at Hermann Field.
The Rams (13-5-2) advanced to the championship final with the victory, where they will face top-seeded Dayton. As the No. 1 seed, the Flyers will host Rhode Island at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 9, with the A-10’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line.
Saint Louis drew first blood in the back-and-forth battle, scoring just 11 minutes into the matchup. Redshirt senior Julia Simon found graduate student Hannah Larson with a precise pass, before Larson deked the goalkeeper and netted the game’s opening goal.
Rhode Island tied things up in exciting fashion before the first half ended. Junior forward Jill Rosenfeld lofted a shot from well outside of the penalty box, placing it perfectly in the top portion of the goal for a highlight-worthy score.
The Rams continued to attack in the second half. MacDonald took advantage of a transition opportunity, finding the bottom of the net to give Rhode Island its first lead of the game, 2-1, in the 54th minute.
Saint Louis answered right back. Flipping roles from the Billikens’ first goal of the night, Larson delivered the pass this time around to Simon who scored a tying goal in the 63rd minute of play.
The roller-coaster match continued with another lead-change just a few moments later. Sophomore Kaia Rice hustled to a loose ball in the penalty box, drilling a shot into the low corner to give Rhode Island a 3-2 advantage.
MacDonald delivered the final blow in the 76th minute, sending a beautiful strike into the top right corner of the goal to provide the key insurance score.
Rhode Island goalkeeper Dani Eden finished the night with five saves, while Saint Louis netminder Emma Parker tallied five. MacDonald paced the Rams’ offense with a pair of goals on four shots.