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DENVER – The nation’s scoring leader added goals 23 and 24 to his 2018 campaign as senior Andre Shinyashiki’s (Sao Paulo, Brazil) eighth multi-goal game of the season and the 14^th of his Pioneer career sent the [11/12] University of Denver men’s soccer team past [RV/-] Saint Louis 2-1 on Tuesday night at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium.

Denver got its breakthrough in the 55^th minute when Shinyashiki converted his 23^rd of the season, this time from the penalty spot, to open the scoring for the seventh time in the 2018 campaign. Senior winger Kenny Akamatsu (Niigata, Japan) was pushed from behind after cutting into the box from the end line to create the penalty.

Saint Louis responded 33 seconds later when John Klein finished his seventh of the campaign off assists down the right from Anthony Brown and Leo Novaes.

Akamatsu nearly gave the Pioneers a 2-1 lead in the 71^st minute, curling a shot off a feed from senior Moshe Perez (Shim’a, Israel), but his attempt rattled the left post, the second bar the Pioneers hit in the second half. Perez had a 68^th minute free kick go over the wall, but it couldn’t dip fast enough as the ball hit the underside of the crossbar and stayed out.

Perez earned his first assist since returning from an injury that kept him out a little over a month on an 84^th minute free kick from the left flank to setup the Shinyashiki winner. Shinyashiki cut across the six-yard box and got his head on a service to the near post to finish off goal number 47 of his Pioneer career. The assist for Perez was his fourth of the 2018 campaign.

Shinyashiki entered the week with a four goal lead in the NCAA’s golden boot race, and now has an NCAA leading nine game-winning goals this season.

Denver outshot Saint Louis 12-10 in the match, limiting the visitors to just three shots on target. The Pioneers held a 6-5 edge in corners in a match that also saw 33 fouls and five yellows.

In the win, Denver improved to 84-3-8 when scoring the first goal since head coach Jamie Franks joined the staff in 2012, having not lost at home after scoring first since Oct. 10, 2009 against UMKC.