Saint Louis Tops UIC in NCAA First Round
6.21.2000
Saint Louis Tops UIC in NCAA First Round
ST. LOUIS - Third-seeded Saint Louis University defeated
Illinois-Chicago 3-2 in a first round NCAA Tournament match before 2,044 at Robert R. Hermann Stadium. Freshman back Jason Cole
tallied his first goal of the season on what became the game-winner in
the 68th minute.
"I give a lot of credit to UIC," head coach Bob Warming said. "To go
from where they were last year to the way they've played this season and
today is remarkable. For us, our team showed a lot of intelligence
today, playing without a sweeper for parts of the game and getting down
a goal two different times. The players didn't panic, they stayed
focused, played their game and were able to come out on top."
Although Saint Louis dominated the play through the first 20 minutes, it
was the Flames that got on the board first at 29:50. SLU keeper Paul
Nagy made a sprawling save on UIC forward Stein Garcia's 18-yard blast.
However, UIC forward Eric Lukin pounced on the rebound and knocked it
into the net.
Saint Louis answered less than a minute later at 30:35 on Dominic
DaPra's second goal of the season. Junior midfielder Marty Tappel
chipped a pass into the UIC penalty area, and DaPra struck a header from
six yards that eluded Flames keeper Chris Jamal..
The second half began with a UIC goal less than two minutes in. The play
developed much like the Flames' first goal as Nagy stopped a shot from
John Collins, but Ryan Lindgren was there to collect the rebound and put
it in the net.
The Billikens fought through a more physical second half that saw them
play a man down for nearly 20 minutes. Despite the disadvantage, senior
midfielder Jason Mims scored to the game in the 64th minute. Senior Nick
Bokern took a quick restart and hit ahead to Jeff DiMaria. DiMaria
crossed to Mims on the left side who chested the ball passed Jamal from
eight yards.
Less than a minute after the tying goal, the Flames' Lukin was awarded
his second yellow card of the game and UIC lost the man-advantage. In
the 68th minute, Cole drilled the game winner on a rebound from a
DiMaria shot that hit the crossbar. Finally in the lead, the Bills were
able to focus on defense to shut down the Flames.
The Billikens are 17-3-2 overall, while the Flames end the season at
17-4-0. SLU advances to the second round of Tournament play next
weekend. The Bills' next opponent, date and site are yet to be
determined.
FINAL SCORE: SAINT LOUIS - 3, ILLINOIS-CHICAGO - 2
UIC - 29:50 Lukin (Garcia)
Shots: SLU - 9, UIC - 7
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