EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- Top-seeded Southern Illinois University Edwardsville men's soccer scored three unanswered goals against Missouri-St. Louis in the second half to advance in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament.
         With the win, SIUE secured the rights to play host to the GLVC Tournament semifinals and finals set for next Friday and Sunday at Korte Stadium. Game times are 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Friday and noon Sunday for the championship game.
         The other three semifinalists will be determined Sunday in quarterfinal action around the conference. SIUE will play in the 7:30 p.m. game Friday against the winner of fifth-seeded Lewis and fourth-seeded Rockhurst. Those were the two teams which handed the Cougars their only conference regular-season losses.
         On Saturday, SIUE and UMSL battled through intermittent rain showers at Korte Stadium. The two teams were deadlocked 0-0 at halftime, although SIUE outshot the Rivermen 7-0 in the half.
         UMSL's Jared Smith took advantage of an SIUE foul from 25 yards out, punching the ball past SIUE goalkeeper Greg Crook at 55:15. It was the first goal SIUE's defense has allowed in the last six games. SIUE has outscored its opponents 22-1 over that stretch.
         The Cougars turned up the heat on the Rivermen, scoring all three goals in less than an eight-minute stretch.
         Dustin Attarian scored twice, including an unassisted goal that tied the score 1-1 at 71:16.
         Kevin Thibodeau scored an open net at 73:15 as Victor Pacheco started the play from 30 yards out, passing to Randy Roy who tapped the ball over to Thibodeau.
         Attarian scored once again at 78:48 on an assist by freshman Kevin Bielicki.
         SIUE outshot eighth-seeded UMSL 21-3.
                  -siue cougars-