No. 16 Washington University Men’s Soccer Picks Up 1-0 Win Over Maryville University on Monday Night

St. Louis, Mo., October 27, 2008 – Senior forward Pierre Hoppenot scored a goal in the seventh minute of action that proved to be the game winner as the No. 16 Washington University in St. Louis men's soccer team picked up a 1-0 win over Maryville University at Francis Field in St. Louis, Mo., on a chilly Monday evening.       The Bears took control of the game early on as Hoppenot scored his third goal of the year. Junior John Hengel possessed the ball at the top of the Maryville box and hit a streaking Hoppenot with as pass he sliced through two defenders. After finding room past the defense Hoppenot beat Maryville goalkeeper Michael Flately with a shot to the left side of the net. Washington University only had a pair of quality scoring chances through the first 45 minutes of action, and the Bears were whistled offside nine times. Sophomore Nick Wilbar registered the other quality scoring chance of the half for the Red and Green taking control of a loose ball at the 10-yard line and firing a shot that Flately had to dive to his left to knock out of bounds. WU outshot the Saints 4-0 in the first frame. As the cold air set in during the second half neither team managed to gather any momentum offensively, mustering only a combined four shots on goal. The Bears' best scoring chance of the second half came when freshman Zach Hendrickson fired a long shot from the right side of the field that careened off of the left Maryville goalpost in the 56th minute. Junior goalkeeper John Smelcer made four saves in picking up the win for the Red and Green. It was his fourth shutout of the year and the team's eighth. Washington University (11-3-1) will return to action on Friday, Oct. 31, when it travels to Rochester, N.Y., to take on University Athletic Association (UAA) rival and seventeenth ranked University of Rochester at 7:30 p.m. (ET). The Rochester game will be the first of two crucial UAA match-ups for the Bears this weekend. The squad will also face Case Western Reserve University on Sunday, Nov. 2, in Cleveland, Ohio, as they try to stay in the hunt for the 2008 conference title and a bid into the NCAA Division III tournament. Vincent Novicki Assistant Sports Information Director Washington University in St. Louis (314) 935-4709 (work) (314) 614-2253 (cell) (314) 935-4600 (fax) http://bearsports.wustl.edu