Saint Louis Men's Soccer Falls To Maryland, 4-2, In NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals

Kevin Wickart

Second-ranked Maryland exploded for four goals to rally past fourth-ranked Saint Louis 4-2 in an NCAA Tournament quarterfinal match at Ludwig Field on Sunday. Trailing 2-0, the Terps scored four goals in an 11-minute span to eliminate the Billikens.

Saint Louis surprised the Terps with an early goal by freshman midfielder Alex Matteson in the seventh minute. Bills freshman midfielder John DiRaimondo sent a ball from the right flank into the Terps' penalty area where Will John's flick found Matteson, whose back heel shot found the back of the net.

Billiken senior defender Kevin Wickart made it a 2-0 lead in the 33rd minute off DiRaimondo's corner kick. Wickart scored out of a scramble, and John picked up another assist.

The Billikens' defense broke down defensively on Maryland's corner kicks. Six-foot-four Terps defender Clarence Goodson struck with a header in the 37th minute. Terps forward Abe Thompson knotted the match in the 43rd minute in a goal mouth scramble. Nino Marcantonio picked up assists on both goals.

Maryland struck 30 seconds into the second half on another corner. SLU's DiRaimondo slipped as he was about to clear the serve off the corner, and the ball sailed into the net just where the Bills' midfielder had been standing. Terps midfielder A.J. Herrera was credited with the goal.

Terps leading scorer Jason Garey put the game away in the 48th minute on another ball played into the Bills' penalty area. Garey was unmarked from 12 yards on a pass from defender Seth Stammler and made no mistake.

Maryland improved to 20-2-1 and advances to the College Cup semifinals on Fri., Dec. 12. The Terps will face the winner of the St. John's/Creighton match.

Saint Louis ended its season with a 15-4-3 record.