 No. 21 Billikens Open Exhibition Play Saturday
Aug. 20, 2009
What's on Tap: Saint Louis hosts cross-state foe Missouri State Saturday in a men's soccer exhibition game at Hermann Stadium. Game time is slated for 7 p.m. It is the first of two exhibition contests for the Billikens. Following the Action: All Billiken exhibition and regular-season home games are video streamed live through Billiken All-Access at www.slubillikens.com. Subscriptions are available for $79.95 annually or $9.95 a month. In addition to the games, fans can view player interviews, highlights and much more at no charge. GameTracker is again available free of charge in 2009. 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. In the Polls: In preseason rankings, the Billikens come in at No. 21 in the NSCAA coaches' poll and No. 24 in the CollegeSoccerNews.com poll. Also ranked in the polls are the following Billiken opponents: No. 3/6 Akron, No. 14/12 Tulsa and No. RV/18 Dayton. About the Billikens: The Billikens return six starters and 15 total letterwinners from last year's club that finished 12-5-5 overall and 6-3-0 in the Atlantic 10 Conference. SLU qualified for its third straight NCAA Tournament and topped Drake 1-0 in the first round at Hermann Stadium. The 2008 season came to an end following a 2-0 defeat at Indiana in the second round. Scouting Missouri State: The Bears went 7-10-5 overall and 3-1-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play a season ago, advancing to the finals of the State Farm MVC Tournament where they fell to Creighton 1-0. Picked to finish fourth in the preseason MVC coaches poll, Missouri State features preseason All-MVC selection Alex Riggs in goal. Last season, Riggs played every minute in the nets and posted a 0.95 GAA. Johannes Demarzi led the club in scoring last season with nine points (3G, 3A). The Bears topped Missouri S&T 1-0 Aug. 18 in their exhibition opener.
Series History: The Billikens and Bears have met on the pitch 11 times, and SLU holds an 8-0-3 advantage in those games. Last season, the Billikens topped Missouri State 3-0 on Homecoming. On the Offensive: Seniors Kyle Hayes (11G, 5A) and Scott Wisniewski (10G, 7A) lead all returning players with 27 career points apiece. Hayes is the team's leading returning scorer from a year ago after he accumulated 16 points (6G, 4A). Senior Jimmy Holmes (nine career goals) also figures to be a key returning player who will contribute on the offensive side of the ball.
Getting Defensive: Senior All-Region performers Tim Ream and Rob Viviano return to a defense that ranked as one of the best in the nation. Last season, the Billikens led the Atlantic 10 Conference and ranked in the top 30 nationally in goals against average (0.76). In addition, the Billikens led the league in fewest goals allowed (18) and shutouts (11). Senior midfielders Josh Aranda and James Jaramillo, as well as sophomore Alex Johnston, also saw extensive playing time in the defensive third a year ago. In the Nets: Perhaps one of the biggest competitions in preseason camp is occuring in goal. The Billikens return senior Ross Kaufman, who played the majority of the 2006 and 2007 campaigns and boasts a 22-5-3 overall record and a 0.73 goals against average. He is being challenged by U-18 U.S. National Team pool player Mark Pais. Transfer Time: Mike Roach, who spent two seasons with the Indiana men's soccer program, has returned to his native St. Louis and is eligible to compete for the Billikens this fall. After appearing in 18 matches for the Hoosiers in 2007, Roach took a redshirt season in 2008, thus giving him three years of eligibility with the Billikens. Junior Stephen Bortolon transferred into the program from St. Bonaventure last season and should see time in the midfield this year. Drawing Praise: Saint Louis' 15-player incoming class was ranked 10th by Soccer America and 16th by CollegeSoccerNews.com. The Bills also placed a league-high four players on the Atlantic 10 Conference 2009 preseason All-Rookie team: Benny Estes, Nick Maglasang, Mark Pais and Alex Sweetin. Dan's Day: Ninth-year head coach Dan Donigan enters the season with a 103-35-23 career record. His .711 win percentage makes him the fifth-winningest active head coach in the country. Donigan has led the Bills to the NCAA Tournament in six of his eight seasons at the helm. In the last three seasons combined, Donigan's Billikens have posted a 35-11-11 overall mark and a 22-4-1 ledger in A-10 regular-season games. On the Sidelines: For the first time in school history, the Billikens will benefit from a full-time goalkeeper coach as Tim Kelly was brought on board this summer. Dave Beck returns for his fourth season, his first as the lead assistant, and former Billiken Brian Grazier is in his first season as senior graduate manager. In addition, U.S. National Team assistant coach Mike Sorber is again serving as a volunteer assistant coach. Looking Ahead: The Billikens travel to face Memphis Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. in their final exhibition test. SLU's regular-season opener is set for Tuesday, Sept. 1, against New Mexico. Game time at Hermann Stadium is 7 p.m. |
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