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The GW Hatchet

AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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Men’s soccer fails to connect on offense as conference woes continue

The+mens+soccer+team+in+a+2022+file+photo.
Hatchet File Photo
The men’s soccer team in a 2022 file photo.

Men’s soccer lost 1-0 against Saint Louis Saturday, dropping to 11th in the Atlantic 10.

The Colonials (6-6-2) outshot SLU Billikens’ (8-4-1) 10-9 but failed to get four shots on goal past SLU senior goalkeeper Carlos Tofern. The match remained scoreless through the first half until the Billikens’ goal in the second handed them the victory.

GW’s fourth conference loss places them outside of the A-10’s 10-team playoff picture with four conference games left before the championship next month.

The first half kicked off with three unsuccessful corner kicks from GW, and the Billikens responded with two shots from the bottom center and bottom left that GW senior goalkeeper Justin Grady blocked.

In the 22nd minute, senior midfielder Elias Norris sought to score from the bottom right but was unable to outsmart Tofern. Junior defender Lucas Matuszewski took possession and shot from out of left but missed.

The Colonials had two more scoring opportunities in the 55th minute with senior attacker Tom Cooklin and junior midfielder Tim Neumann shooting out from the right but ultimately failing to net the ball.

A lack of offensive momentum dominated the first half as both teams settled into a defensive stride and ultimately failed to score.

The second half got underway with a curling shot from Cooklin that SLU goalkeeper Tofern punched away and deflected toward GW junior defender Aaron Kronenberg. Kronenberg shot from out left but failed to connect, nulling the Colonials’ best chance to score.

SLU went on to increase its possession and continue drilling the net for the game’s winning goal. A foul by GW’s Cameron in the 69th minute paused play to allow freshman midfielder Mads Stistrup Petersen to score off a set piece driven into the lower right corner of the net, putting SLU on the board.

The Colonials entered a shooting frenzy in hopes of equalizing the score but could not penetrate the Billikens’ defense. Cooklin fired two consecutive shots from the top left and bottom center that the Billikens goalkeeper stifled.

Matuszewski took the last shot for the Colonials in the 89th minute from the bottom right, but Tofern stopped GW’s fleeting hopes to tie the game.

The Billikens collected four yellow cards through the game, outnumbering GW’s three.

The Colonials sank two places in the A-10 standings with the loss. GW will look to hit its stride in the last four games to make their bid at an A-10 playoff run.

The Colonials wrap up a three-game series on the road Tuesday at Durham, North Carolina where they will face No. 3 Duke. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be available on ESPN+.

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