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No. 3 SMU Brushes Off Billikens, 3-0
Defensive mistakes lead to loss.


Sept. 22, 2006

St. Louis - Third-ranked SMU took advantage of No. 19 Saint Louis' defensive miscues and topped the Billikens 3-0 tonight in a men's non-conference soccer match at Robert R. Hermann Stadium. The Mustangs stayed unbeaten at 9-0-1 after sitting through a one-hour, 28-minute delay for heavy rain and lightning.

Saint Louis had the better of the play early, and SMU keeper Matt Wideman made one sensational save and his defense came to the rescue to keeper the Bills off the board. SLU junior midfielder Brian Grazier stepped into an errant SMU and sent a 25-yard blast that Wideman leaped to punch over the cross bar. On the ensuing corner kick, SMU defender Jay Needham cleared SLU defender Dan Guffey's header off the Mustangs' line.

"It was a game of what ifs, and it didn't work out for us," Billikens head coach Dan Donigan said. "What would have happened if Grazier's shot went in or Guffey scores off the corner. Their keeper is red-hot and makes a spectacular play followed by an outstanding defensive clearance."

The Mustangs broke the ice in the 26th minute as SLU failed to clear the ball from a scramble in its own penalty area. Needham pounced on the free ball and sent it home from 15 yards. Just over four minutes later, the Bills defense failed to clear a long ball that went right to the foot of midfielder Jeff Harwell, and he buried it from 15 yards. After the two mistakes, the Bills continued their territorial advantage and finished the half with a 7-4 advantage in shots and a 5-1 edge in corners.

"We made two key defensive errors that they turned into goals," Donigan said. "On the first one, we got an unlucky bounce on a clearing attempt, but we lost their most dangerous attacker on set pieces in the process. That can't happen. Then on the second goal, there may have been a miscommunication between our keeper and a defender, and the slick, wet conditions figured into it, too, but you have to account for that and not let it be a factor."

SMU back Mynor Gonzalez iced the match with an 18-yard blast under the bar in the 74th minute. Mustangs midfielder Chase Wileman picked up an assist as SMU played off a short corner.

Saint Louis out-shot SMU 11-10 and finished with a 7-4 advantage on corners. SMU's Wideman made three saves to post his seventh shutout. The Mustangs have only yielded one goal all season. SLU's Kaufman made three stops. In a side note, it was the fifth straight game in this series that the visiting team has won.

Many of the 2,034 fans stayed around for the game. "It is incredible the support that we receive, and our fans enjoy seeing good soccer," Donigan said. "SMU plays a good brand of soccer, and it was still an entertaining game to watch."

Saint Louis (3-3-1) continues its eight-game homestand with intrastate rival Missouri State on Tue., Sept. 26, at 7 p.m.

#3 SMU 3, #19 SAINT LOUIS 0
SMU 25:26 Jay Needham 15 yds unassisted
SMU 29:28 Jeff Harwell 12 yds unassisted
SMU 73:48 Mynor Gonzalez 18 yds from Chase Wileman
Shots: SLU - 11, SMU - 10
Corners: SLU - 7, SMU - 4
Saves: SLU - 3 (Kaufman), SMU - 4 (Wideman-3, Team-1)
Fouls: SLU - 21, SMU - 15
Offsides: SLU - 0, SMU - 1
Att: 2,034

Without having seen the game, I'd like to offer a translation that might be more accurate:

mustangbill67 wrote:.... Third-ranked SMU took advantage of No. 19 Saint Louis' defensive miscues and topped the Billikens 3-0 tonight in a men's non-conference soccer match at Robert R. Hermann Stadium....

Third-ranked SMU was just too damn good for St. Louis, imposed its will and basically did what it wanted against an overmatched Billiken squad.

mustangbill67 wrote:.... Saint Louis had the better of the play early....

At least SMU didn't score on the opening kickoff....

mustangbill67 wrote:.... and SMU keeper Matt Wideman made one sensational save and his defense came to the rescue to keeper the Bills off the board.

Matt Wideman is too good for St. Louis to score on, and teamed up with the SMU defense to pitch the shutout everyone knew was coming.

mustangbill67 wrote:.... SLU junior midfielder Brian Grazier stepped into an errant SMU and sent a 25-yard blast that Wideman leaped to punch over the cross bar.

St. Louis had one legitimate shot in the game.

mustangbill67 wrote:.... "Their keeper is red-hot and makes a spectacular play followed by an outstanding defensive clearance."

SMU's keeper is better than our shooters, and their defense is better than our offense. Then again, their offense is better than ours, too, so basically, we had no chance.

mustangbill67 wrote:.... The Mustangs broke the ice in the 26th minute as SLU failed to clear the ball from a scramble in its own penalty area. Needham pounced on the free ball and sent it home from 15 yards. Just over four minutes later, the Bills defense failed to clear a long ball that went right to the foot of midfielder Jeff Harwell, and he buried it from 15 yards.

The Ponies got bored with the scrimmage and decided to end it with about an hour left.

mustangbill67 wrote:.... After the two mistakes, the Bills continued their territorial advantage and finished the half with a 7-4 advantage in shots and a 5-1 edge in corners.

The official scorer is a St. Louis graduate and donor.

mustangbill67 wrote:.... "We made two key defensive errors that they turned into goals," Donigan said. "On the first one, we got an unlucky bounce on a clearing attempt, but we lost their most dangerous attacker on set pieces in the process. That can't happen. Then on the second goal, there may have been a miscommunication between our keeper and a defender, and the slick, wet conditions figured into it, too, but you have to account for that and not let it be a factor."

Waaaaaah! The Ponies wore magic shoes that allowed them to be unaffected by the water. The ball was wet only when St. Louis had it. Waaaaaaaah!

mustangbill67 wrote:.... SMU back Mynor Gonzalez iced the match with an 18-yard blast under the bar in the 74th minute. Mustangs midfielder Chase Wileman picked up an assist as SMU played off a short corner.

SMU reminded St. Louis of the true pecking order in college soccer with a goal in the 74th minute.

mustangbill67 wrote:.... Saint Louis out-shot SMU 11-10 and finished with a 7-4 advantage on corners.

Did we mention that the official scorer is a St. Louis graduate and a lorge donor?

mustangbill67 wrote:.... SMU's Wideman made three saves to post his seventh shutout. The Mustangs have only yielded one goal all season. SLU's Kaufman made three stops.

Scoring on Wideman is like trying to defend Justin Willis. It can't be done.

mustangbill67 wrote:.... Many of the 2,034 fans stayed around for the game. "It is incredible the support that we receive, and our fans enjoy seeing good soccer," Donigan said. "SMU plays a good brand of soccer, and it was still an entertaining game to watch."

"I'm glad the fans got to see a great team tonight. They would have enjoyed it more if that great team was St. Louis. The Mustangs are 'our daddies'."

Excellent translation. It is always interesting to see the spin placed on a loss. This was great win and especially so since we recruit the St. Louis area, a soccer hot bed.

For years - a lot of years - St. Louis was our biggest soccer rival. It ALWAYS seemed to come down to a match with St. Louis in the NCAA tournament. This is like the (damn) Yankees and Red Sox - all wins feel good, but against some teams, a win (especially a shutout) feels just a little better.

Way to go, Ponies!