Eighth-Ranked Billikens Host Two Exhibition Matches
Aug. 18, 2008
2008 Outlook | Ticket Information | Promotional Schedule What's on Tap: Saint Louis continues preparation for its 2008 men's soccer season this week as it welcomes DePaul and Memphis to Robert R. Hermann Stadium for exhibition matches. The Billikens host the Blue Demons on Wednesday, Aug. 20, while the Tigers' matchup is slated for Saturday, Aug. 23. Both matches are scheduled for a 7 p.m. kick-off. For Tickets: Tickets for all men's soccer home games at Robert R. Hermann Stadium may be purchased at the ticket gate, by phone at (314) 977-4SLU or online at www.slubillikens.com. Prices for single-game tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for youth. Groups of 20 or more receive discounted tickets for $3 apiece. Students with a valid SLU ID card receive free admission. Following the Action: All home matches, including the two matches this week, will be streamed live on the Billiken All-Access Channel. In addition to the matches, fans can view player interviews, highlights and the Dan Donigan Show. Subscriptions, which will be required for all regular-season and postseason matches, are available for $79.95 annually or $9.95 a month. Fans may preview this week's games for free. GameTracker will once again be available free of charge in 2008. About the Billikens: Saint Louis returns nine starters from a 2007 squad that finished 12-2-5, led by the Atlantic 10 Conference's Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year in Kyle Patterson and Calum Angus. Patterson led the team in scoring a season ago with 24 points (10G, 4A), while Scott Wisniewski netted 18 points (7G, 4A). Angus, an NSCAA second-team All-American, anchored a defense that yielded a league-low 13 goals last season. Pat Disbennett and Ross Kaufman are competing for the starting keeper role, and both should see playing time in each of the two exhibition matches.
Scouting the Blue Demons: DePaul returns 10 starters from last season's 12-8-0 squad that claimed the Big East Red Division title, resulting in the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance. Returning to the lineup this season is Big East Goalkeeper of the Year Brian Visser, who holds the Blue Demons' career record for shutouts. Offensively, DePaul returns Alex Mangan's 15 points (7G, 1A), Steffen Vroom's seven points (2G, 3A) and Patrick Hopkins' six points (3G). Head coach Craig Blazer is 43-78-11 in eight seasons at the helm. Saint Louis and DePaul have met 14 times on the pitch as Conference USA and Great Midwest Conference opponents. SLU owns a 14-0-0 record in those games. Scouting the Tigers: Memphis is coming off a 2007 season that saw it post a 10-5-4 overall record and a fifth-place finish in Conference USA. The Tigers return five of their top seven scorers from last year, led by Ryan Ruble's 14 points (6G, 2A). All-Conference USA defender Michael Coburn and forward/midfielder Sean Goulding also return to a Tigers team that yielded 18 goals while scoring 31 in 2007. Head coach Richie Grant enters his 10th season at Memphis with an 89-66-12 record. The Billikens own a 15-5-1 all-time record against Memphis in a series highlighted by Great Midwest Conference and Conference USA tilts. Back for More: Last season, the Billikens led the country with five team members being named to an NSCAA All-Region first team. All five of those players return in 2008. Senior forward Dado Hamzagic (St. Louis, Mo./Mehlville) netted 14 points (5G, 4A) last season. Senior midfielder Eric Sweetin (Overland Park, Kan./Rockhurst) and junior defender Tim Ream (St. Louis, Mo./St. Dominic) also return in 2008. Patterson and Angus appeared on the first-team All-Region squad as well. Ream's Rundown: Junior defender Tim Ream will keep a blog this season, a feature available only on www.slubillikens.com. It will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the men's soccer squad and will be updated periodically throughout the year. Polling Place: In preseason rankings, the Billikens come in at No. 8 on CollegeSoccerNews.com and No. 19 in the NSCAA coaches' poll. Also ranked in the polls are the following Billiken opponents: No. 2/2 Connecticut, No. 7/6 Creighton, No. 22/13 Massachusetts and No. 16/20 Northwestern. Dan's Day: Dan Donigan, the 2007 NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year and the reigning back-to-back A-10 Coach of the Year, is 91-30-18 (.719) entering his eighth season at the helm. Donigan has led the Billikens to the NCAA Tournament in five of his seven campaigns. In the last two seasons combined, Donigan's Billikens have posted a 25-7-7 (.731) overall mark and a 16-1-1 (.917) ledger in A-10 regular-season games. NCAA History: The Billikens have qualified for the NCAA Tournament a record 44 times in the 49-year history of the event and have won a record 10 national championships. Saint Louis has a 65-32-5 (.662) record in NCAA Tournament action. Robert R. Hermann Stadium: The Billikens are tough to beat on Robert R. Hermann Stadium's state-of-the-art natural grass surface. SLU is 71-15-11 (.789) in eight seasons at Hermann Stadium, including 6-1-2 last season. In those eight seasons, the Billikens are 6-2-2 on their home pitch in NCAA Tournament action. Great Fans: The Billikens averaged 2,116 fans for 10 home dates at Hermann Stadium last season, which ranked ninth in the nation. Saint Louis drew 5,758 fans for Homecoming against Central Florida, the second-largest crowd in Robert R. Hermann Stadium history. The Billikens led the nation in average attendance in 2003, 2001 and 1999. The Billikens have ranked in the top 10 since 1999. On the Sidelines: Once again, the Billikens boast a full complement of assistant coaches in 2008. Matt Tutton enters his second season as an assistant, while Dave Beck is in his third year with the Billikens. Martin Hutton is in his second season as a graduate assistant coach in charge of goalkeepers. In addition, U.S. National Team assistant coach Mike Sorber will again serve as a volunteer assistant coach. Transfer Time: The Billikens welcome three transfers to the team in 2008. Midfielder James Jaramillo (UCLA) and defender Andrew Park (Loyola Marymount) are eligible this season. Stephen Bortolon (St. Bonaventure) will sit out this season and begin his eligibility in 2009. What's New: Dan Donigan and his coaching staff have brought in nine freshmen. The class, which was ranked as the 24th best by CollegeSoccerNews.com, features A-10 All-Rookie selections Jonas Reiter and Keegan Smith. |
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