5,487 students, families and fans filled the stands on Sept. 27, for the men’s homecoming soccer game. Coming off a huge overtime win against then-No. 3 Creighton, the No. 6 Billikens took the field against the 2-4-0 Central Arkansas Bears and gave their fans a 2-0 win on homecoming. Senior forward Robert Kristo and junior defender Marco Heskamp were an unstoppable duo, with Heskamp assisting on both of Kristo’s goals.
SLU started their offensive attack early with two shots on goal within the first two minutes of the game. The Billikens continued the offensive onslaught throughout the rest of the half, but to no avail. Opportunities were lost as shots went just wide of the goal. One of these opportunities occurred with 17 minutes left in the first half, as junior midfielder David Graydon sent the ball just wide of the top left corner of the goal.
Although the Billikens could not connect for a score, their defense held tight with junior defender Tyler David preventing the Bears’ Wes Carson from scoring on multiple attempts, as early as the first five minutes of the game. Freshman goalkeeper Sascha Otte also had three saves in the first half, with one coming off a free kick from the Bears with 35 minutes left in the half. Due to Otte’s swift hands and SLU’s slight inaccuracy on offense, the first half ended scoreless.
The second half began much like the first, with multiple shots on goal and lost opportunities for the Billikens; however, there was a new face on the field. Kristo, who didn’t play the first half because of his lingering ankle injury, started the second half. The ball finally found the back of the net for Kristo in the 18th minute of the second half, when he found himself wide open at the top of the box. After a beautiful pass from Heskamp, Kristo blasted the ball past Central Arkansas keeper Harrison Veith. It looked as if SLU was going to score again, only 10 minutes later, when Graydon connected with senior midfielder Kingsley Bryce, but the goal was waved off because Bryce was offside by merely a step. The Kristo-Heskamp duo did strike again, with only 11 minutes left in the game, and gave the Billikens a two-goal lead.
This score of 2-0 would hold for the remainder of the game, bringing the Billikens’ home winning streak to 15, including five shutouts for the season. Another notable statistic to add to the growing career of Kristo are his two goals in the game adding to his season goal total of six, the highest on the team
“I think Kristo coming off the bench really brought a lot of attack to the team,” head coach Mike McGinty said.
Kristo, who had been sidelined in a previous game against University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) due to an ankle injury, commented on his health, saying that he is doing well after the previous issues with his ankle and is ready to give 100 percent on the field.
The Billikens made some apparent, vital offensive changes in the second half to secure the win. Another difference maker was Heskamp, who ended the game with two assists.
“I think that we were more aggressive toward the goal…I was a little more precise, maybe a little more concentrated,” Heskamp said.
The Billikens had little time to prepare for Wednesday’s away game against Indiana University at Bloomington. The Hoosiers, 5-1-3, who tied Big Ten opponent Northwestern on Sunday at home with a score of 1-1, is currently ranked 17th in the nation. However, Heskamp believes that the team is ready for this challenge.
“I think that with this game, and also the games before, especially Louisville and Creighton, we have earned a lot of confidence and this confidence should give us a boost for the next game,” Heskamp said.
Coach McGinty echoed this thought of readiness, saying he believes that his team knows what is at stake and has shown the ability to fight for 90 minutes.
The No. 3 Billikens traveled to Bloomington, Ind., on Oct. 1, for their final nonconference game of the season to take on the No. 12 Hoosiers. Kristo again lodged himself into the record books in this game, but not with a career statistic. Instead, he now is tied for the fastest goal in SLU history, coming 14 seconds into the game.
Kristo received a header through ball from junior forward Francisco Vizcaino, and then chipped a ball over the Hoosier keeper from 35 yards out. The last player to score in this fashion in 14 seconds was Matt Mckeon in 1994.
However, the fast start was the only spark in the game for the Bills, and they were defeated 3-1. All of the goals came in the first half of play. Indiana’s goals came in the eighth, 23rd and 39th minutes.
SLU had several chances throughout the game, but failed to find the back of the net another time. SLU was out-shot 11-9 on the night, but had more second half shots than IU, four verses two. Otte also recorded three saves on the game, all of which came in the first half. The Hoosier goalie, Colin Webb, had four saves.
With the loss, SLU’s five-game win streak snapped, and they move to 7-2 on the season.
Atlantic 10 play begins this Sunday Oct. 5, when the Billikens welcome the St. Bonaventure Bonnies to Hermann Stadium. The Bonnies haven’t won a game yet this season. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. At stake for the Billikens is maintaining their home win streak of 14 wins, which spans both this season and the last.
Following the game against St. Bonaventure, the Billikens travel to North Carolina to play Davidson. Davidson is ranked third in the nation in RPI, which takes into consideration wins, loses, and strength of schedule, while SLU is currently sixth. SLU was picked to win the A-10 at the start of the season.