WASHINGTON – No. 1 Saint Louis defeated No. 5 Rhode Island, 2-0, Wednesday night at Hermann Stadium. The win for Saint Louis advances them to the Betterment #A10WSOC tournament finals.
A top four defensive match up, the early portion of this match was fought around midfield. The Billikens and Rams combined for just six total shots in the opening half, with only three being on goal.
The second half proved to be the more eventful one, with 14 shots fired off by both teams combined. The Billikens got on the board first, when Blakely Hockett sent a perfect pass to Audrey Smith just outside of the box, who finished the job in the bottom portion of the net for the initial 1-0 lead.
Smith would not be satisfied with the one goal this evening. In the 79th minute, Smith was once again on the receiving end of a great pass, this time from a Hope Kim header. She found almost the same exact spot in the goal to put Saint Louis up 2-0 and send them to the finals.
Saint Louis did not exit this contest unscathed, however, as their Second Team All-Conference goaltender Pepper Escher was injured late in the second half. The Billikens will look to have Escher back to full health Sunday, November 15 as they will take on the Dayton Flyers in the Atlantic 10 tournament finals.