(Courtesy Saint Louis Athletics)
Kirsten Clemens tallied a goal and an assist and was one of four different Saint Louis players to find the back of the net in the Billikens’ 4-1 victory over Evansville Sunday afternoon at McCutchan Stadium.
SLU improved to 1-1 with the win, while Evansville of the Missouri Valley Conference slipped to 1-1.
The victory was a come-from-behind effort for Saint Louis, which got off to a slow start. The Billikens didn’t record their first shot until the 37th minute and saw the Purple Aces grab a 1-0 lead on Holyn Marshall’s second goal of the season at 20:58. Carlie Scales assisted.
Although the Bills didn’t score the equalizer before intermission, they gave an indication of what was to come late in the opening stanza. SLU fired six shots, including three on frame, in the final 8:20 before the break.
It didn’t take Saint Louis long to pull even in the second half. Danielle Tolmais, assisted by Molly Ream, collected her first goal as a Billiken at 48:48. Ream directed a cross toward the center of the field from the right endline, and Tolmais finished from 10 yards.
Clemens’ second goal of the season at 69:36 proved to be the game winner. She gathered a failed clearance attempt and tucked a close-range shot inside the far post.
The Billikens made it 3-1 moments later when Cristina Rodriguez picked up her first goal of the year at 70:54. Rodriguez, from just outside the right corner of the box, lifted a 20-yard shot over the Evansville goalkeeper.
Lindsay Elking, assisted by Clemens, notched her second goal of the season for insurance at 79:57. Elking’s 18-yard shot glanced off the goalkeeper’s fingertips and into the net.
Hanna Benben made four saves between the posts for the Billikens. Tristin Stuteville played the final 5:16.
Saint Louis earned a 15-11 advantage in total shots and a 10-5 edge in shots on goal. Eight Billikens recorded at least one shot on goal, with Shaney Sakamoto leading the way with a game-high three. Sakamoto tallied a game-high four total shots as well. SLU had five corner kicks to Evansville’s two.
The Billikens scored six goals in their first two games, the most since the 2003 team scored seven in the first two contests.
Up next for Saint Louis is Drake on Friday, Aug. 29, in Des Moines, Iowa. First whistle is scheduled for 6 p.m.
