The news of SLUH soccer is quickly spreading outside the city. After weeks of dominating both public and private high schools around St. Louis, the Jr. Bills took their talents on the road last weekend, sweeping through the River Region Rumble in Paducah, Ky. Now, as the wins keep adding up, a recent poll from United Soccer Coaches even has SLUH Soccer ranked at No. 10 in the nation. With national recognition now under their belts, the Jr. Bills are preparing to carry their momentum on through the final half of the season.

The Jr. Bills’ Friday match against Henry Clay High School was a game of firsts for the team. Not only was it their first game outside of Missouri or Illinois under the leadership of coach Bob O’Connell, it was also their first time heading into halftime down by a goal. 

With 11 minutes left in the first half, Henry Clay, on their only real opportunity of the night, buried a shot past sophomore goalie Chris Lewis. The Jr. Bills, on the other hand, found themselves with several opportunities in the first half, but nothing to show for it. As the whistle signalled half time, SLUH marched to the bench in unfamiliar territory. Still, no one was concerned.

“I think everybody felt like the goal was coming because we created a lot of chances in the first half,” said junior midfielder Lucas Hammond. “In the huddle we were all saying ‘keep your head up, it’s coming.”

The goals did indeed come in the second half. After getting tripped up in the box 10 minutes into the half, senior Stephen Saladin had the chance to tie the game on a penalty kick. Saladin stepped up to the ball and rocketed it past the Henry Clay keeper, who dove in the opposite direction of the shot. 

Saladin’s penalty opened the floodgates for SLUH. In the next 17 minutes, the Jr. Bills found the back of the net four more times. Saladin and fellow forward Johnnie Ferrara led the onslaught. Saladin ended the game with a hat trick after another penalty kick and a breakaway shot that seemed too easy. Ferrara scored the other two goals, each within two minutes of the other. 

By the end of the match against Henry Clay, SLUH had changed the game radically. Although not reflected in the statline, a big part of that was Hammond, who excelled through the middle of the field on Friday night, dribbling past defenders for much of the game. 

“I think I helped the attack and created chances,” Hammond reflected. “I was kind of disappointed that I didn’t score because I think this was my best performance of the season. Everybody played amazing.”

Hammond earned an assist on Ferrara’s second goal, which put SLUH up by two. 

With Henry Clay solidly in the win column, the Jr. Bills turned their attention to Saturday’s match against Reitz Memorial, a team out of Indiana. In one of their hardest fought games of the season, SLUH pulled out a 2-0 win over a team with a strong defense. 

Once again, the scoring was opened by a Saladin penalty kick. This time, it came off a foul against sophomore defenseman Gabe Hafner. Hafner, who had managed to push the ball all the way upfield from his spot on defense, was taken to the ground by a Reitz defender, practically gifting a goal to the Jr. Bills. With 17 minutes left in the game, SLUH went up by one. Three minutes later, junior Kevin Cooney notched his second goal of the season off a headball from senior captain Tyler Van Bree’s cross, finalizing the win. 

With their record still perfect after the Kentucky trip, the Jr. Bills loaded onto the bus for a cheerful ride home. On the ride, news circulated about SLUH’s impressive national rank. O’Connell appreciated the recognition, but the ranking isn’t really what he’s after. 

“All that stuff is fun and cool, but really our goal has always been to win the District Tournament,” he said. “I think all that stuff is somewhat arbitrary but it does recognize that we’re having a good year and people are taking notice of it, which is always cool.”

Still, O’Connell was happy with Kentucky play, and stressed that he would love to send his teams there in the future.

“I think travel is a great way to play some different teams and build team culture,” said O’Connell. “There's so much value in being around each other for 48 hours and just focusing on soccer. For this experience, we got to play some really good teams that we don’t usually see. The facilities and hospitality were outstanding.”

After returning home Saturday evening, the Jr. Bills got little rest before having to take the field again. This past Tuesday, in the first match of the Jr. Billiken Classic, SLUH soccer took the field against O’Fallon Township. The team was riding high after Kentucky, and it showed. Van Bree opened the scoring off an assist from Saladin, who proceeded to notch yet another penalty goal after that. Saladin’s PK record is an impressive 5 for 5 this season so far. If SLUH is fouled in the box, a near automatic goal can be expected. Finally, senior Ben Ridgway added the winning goal with his head in the second half. 

The 3-0 win was a strong statement to start the tournament, and as the season nears its halfway point, those continue to be important, even against teams that aren’t nationally ranked.  

“We want to make sure that regardless of the opponent, we’re using that opportunity to get better. Winning for some teams is the bar of success so if you keep winning but we’re not getting better, that’s a concern. No team in soccer is ever going to be perfect,” reflected O’Connell.

It may indeed be true that no team is perfect, but in the words of Johnnie Ferrara after the final Kentucky game: “this team is pretty freaking good.”