Saint Louis men defeat Temple

PHILADELPHIA – St. Louis(m) freshman Jacob Brown scored the only goal the Billikens would need in a 1-0 victory against Temple Friday afternoon in Atlantic 10 Conference men’s soccer action at Ambler Field.

The win assures the Billikens (11-6-0, 6-2-0 A-10) a spot in next weekend’s Atlantic 10 Conference Championships at the University of Rhode Island. In addition, the victory moves the Bills one game closer to capturing a top-two seed, which would result in a first-round bye. SLU would achieve that by winning Sunday at Saint Joseph’s. First whistle of that contest is slated for noon (CT).

Brown’s goal, his first of the season, came at 4:29 on a corner kick. Freshman Alex Sweetin served the ball, and Brown headed it into the top right corner of the net for the eventual game winner. It was Sweetin’s team-leading sixth assist of the season.

“This win was a complete team effort,” SLU assistant coach Dave Beck. “As expected, it was a typical road game against a tough and scrappy Temple squad. Their keeper made some big saves, but we continued to play hard and got the result we were looking for.”

The Billikens out-shot the Owls 19-6, while Temple (8-7-2, 3-4-1 A-10) held a 6-4 advantage in corner kicks. Sweetin and Mike Roach led the Billikens with seven and three shots, respectively. SLU keeper Ross Kaufman made two saves for his fourth shutout of the season.