Penalty Kick Gives UMSL First Conference Win

Rivermen Lance Knights 3-2

St. Louis , Mo. – The University of Missouri-St. Louis Rivermen hosted the Bellarmine University Knights Friday evening. Alen Jujic (St. Louis, Mo/Afton) scored the first goal for the Rivermen to tie the game. David Walters (St. Louis, Mo./Ritenour) then gave the Riverwmen an early lead in the second half. After the Knights tied the game, Jeff Menke (St. Louis, Mo./Rosary) put UMSL up 3-2 on a game winning penalty kick.

The Bellarmine Knights jumped out to the lead in the 29th minute, off a free kick just outside the box. A few minutes later Jujic put the Rivermen on the board, with the last goal of the half, to tie the game, 1-1. During the half the Knights had three shots on goal and allowed the Rivermen two shots on goal. At the end of the half, the game was still tied 1-1.

UM-St. Louis started the second half strong when Walters put the ball away within the first few minutes of the half. Kraig Tenge (Hazelwood, Mo./Hazelwood Central) recorded the assist on the goal. Bellarmine fought back and tied the game when the ball deflected off the post into the net. UMSL brought the ball back down field, and after a foul in the box, Menke took a penalty kick that gave the Rivermen a 3-2 lead in the last 20 minutes of the game.

The Rivermen are now 5-3-1 on the season and 1-0-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The last time a UMSL men’s soccer team had more then a five-game unbeaten streak was the 1991 season, when the team went to the NCAA tournament. UM-St. Louis will take the pitch on Sunday, September 26, against Kentucky Wesleyan at 12 noon.