Aug. 27, 2007

On Tap: No. 22 (NSCAA) Saint Louis opens its 2007 season Friday on the road against No. 8 SMU. Kickoff at Westcott Field in Dallas is slated for 7:30 p.m. The match is the first of three straight challenging road games for the Billikens, who begin their quest for an unprecedented 44th NCAA Tournament appearance.

Following the Action: All home matches can be followed live on GameTracker on SLU's official website, www.slubillikens.com. In addition, four matches can be viewed through the Billiken All-Access package on www.slubillikens.com.

Scouting SMU: Despite an early exit from last year's NCAA Tournament and the graduation of key players, the Mustangs still figure to content for a national championship. Ranked in the top 10 in all preseason polls, SMU boasts one of the most potent offenses in the country. Scott Geppart and Paulo da Silva return five and three goals, respectively, to lead the front line. Senior Adrian Chevannes (6G, 6A) returns in the midfield, as does junior Hermann Trophy candidate Bruno Guarda (5G, 6A). Senior keeper Steve Sanbo, a member of the U.S. U-20 National team that competed in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada, also returns for SMU. In their lone exhibition match, the Mustangs defeated Army 2-1. Head coach Schellas Hyndman is in his 24th season at SMU with a 354-93-36 record.

The Series: The series, which began in 1975, is knotted at 14-14-4 after SMU came away with a 3-0 victory at Hermann Stadium last season. In the last five matches between the two teams, the road team has come away with the victory.

Junior midfielder Eric Sweetin

Hermann Trophy Showdown: A pair of Hermann Trophy candidates will battle it out in the midfield on Friday. SLU junior Eric Sweetin and SMU junior Bruno Guarda were each named to the 29-member Watch List. The Hermann Trophy is the official National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Player of the Year Award for NCAA Division I competition.

Down the Road: The Billikens play arguably their toughest three-game stretch at the beginning of the season. After the SMU matchup, SLU travels to Durham, N.C., the weekend of Sept. 7 for two games at the Duke/adidas Soccer Classic. SLU will tangle with ACC contender NC State on Friday before meeting the No. 4 Blue Devils on Sunday.

Dan's Day: Dan Donigan, the 2006 A-10 Coach of the Year, enters his seventh year as head coach with a career record of 79-28-13 (.713). He was the 2003 NSCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year. Donigan finished 18-2-0 in his debut, which was the best record posted by a Billikens' first-year head coach and was Conference USA's 2001 Coach of the Year. His 10-0-0 start was the best by a first-year coach in the Billikens' storied history. Donigan has led the Billikens to the NCAA Tournament in four of his six seasons and has a 5-4 record in tournament play. The former University of Connecticut All-American and Big East Player of the Decade for the 1980s took charge in 2001 after serving as an assistant coach for the previous four seasons.

On the Sidelines: The Billikens boast a full complement of assistant coaches. Matt Tutton is in his first year as an assistant, while Dave Beck returns for his second season with the Billikens. Martin Hutton was added as a graduate assistant coach in charge of goalkeepers. In addition, U.S. National Team assistant coach Mike Sorber will serve as a volunteer assistant coach.

In the Polls: The Billikens are ranked in two preseason polls. The NSCAA ranked SLU 21st overall, while College Soccer News has the Billikens 19th in the nation. In addition, www.topdrawersoccer.com put the Billikens at No. 22 in its preseason ranking.

Youth is Served: The Billikens' nine-member recruiting class was ranked 22nd in the country by College Soccer News. Freshman back Casey Herd (Dallas, Texas / Martin) was named a College Soccer News top 100 freshman to watch. In addition, freshmen Beau Bellomy (Dallas, Texas / Jesuit) and Josh Boemecke (O'Fallon, Ill. / O'Fallon Township) joined Herd on the A-10 All-Rookie Team.

Robert R. Hermann Stadium: The Billikens are usually tough to beat on Robert R. Hermann Stadium's state-of-the-art natural grass surface. SLU is 64-14-9 (.797) in eight seasons at Hermann Stadium, including a 6-3-1 mark last season.

NCAA History: The Billikens have qualified for the NCAA Tournament a record 43 times in the 48-year history of the event and have won a record 10 national championships. Saint Louis has a 65-32-4 (.663) record in NCAA Tournament action.

The Atlantic 10 Conference: Saint Louis enters its third season as a member of the A-10. The Billikens have claimed at least a share of the regular-season crown in each of their first two seasons in the league, but Rhode Island has knocked off the Bills in both tournament championship games. The Rams received votes in the NSCAA preseason poll, and College Soccer News ranks them 29th in the nation. The league boasts two Hermann Trophy candidates: Saint Louis' Eric Sweetin and Duquesne's Travis MacKenzie.

Sophomore midfielder Kyle Hayes

Offensively Speaking: The Billikens out-shot their opponents 20-14 in the preseason and held a 17-6 advantage on corner kicks ... junior Calum Angus netted SLU's goal in its 1-1 draw with Northwestern ... juniors Dado Hamzagic and Kyle Patterson have each tallied seven career goals, leading all returning players in that category ... sophomore Kyle Hayes returns a team-leading four goals from last season ... junior transfer Brandon Barklage has 19 points (5G, 9A) to his credit after spending two seasons at New Mexico.

Getting Defensive: SLU returns several key components from last year's defense, which led the league in goals allowed per game and shots against ... the backline allowed just four shots on goal in SLU's two exhibition contests, one of which was a penalty kick.

Diesel: Senior keeper Pat Disbennett (St. Louis, Mo. / Webster Groves) is healthy after missing all of last season due to injury ... made a save on a Northwestern attacker from point-blank range.

The Bee Gees: Senior defender Brandon Gasparovic (St. Louis, Mo. / CBC) started both games during the exhibition season ...played all 90 minutes at South Florida and registered one shot.

Grazin': Senior midfielder Brian Grazier (Edwardsville, Ill. / Edison Academic Center, Bradenton, Fla.) saw work in both exhibition contests ...got off a shot in the South Florida contest.

Weekly Reeder: Senior forward Andrew Reeder (Burlington, N.J. / Pennington School) started up top in both exhibition games ... put a game-high three shots on goal in one half of work against Northwestern.

Certified Angus: Junior defender Calum Angus (Portsmouth, England) was named to the preseason All-Conference squad ... finished fourth on the team last year with nine points (3G, 3A) ... scored the Bills' goal unassisted against Northwestern.

Brand New: Junior Brandon Barklage (St. Louis, Mo. / New Mexico) started the Northwestern match and nearly connected on a goal two minutes into the contest ... returns to his hometown after spending his first two seasons at New Mexico ... prepped at CBC before helping the Lobos to the College Cup final in 2005.

It's Magic: Junior midfielder Dado Hamzagic (St. Louis, Mo. / Mehlville) played all 90 minutes at South Florida ...put two shots on goal against Northwestern.

From Across the Pond: Junior midfielder Kyle Patterson (Birmingham, England) played all 90 minutes of both exhibition contests ... put a shot on goal in the Northwestern tilt.

That's Sweet: Junior midfielder Eric Sweetin (Overland Park, Kan. / Kansas City Rockhurst) is a College Soccer News preseason second-team All-American in addition to a Hermann Trophy candidate ... played 90 minutes at South Florida.

Sophomore midfielder Josh Aranda

Just Joshin': Sophomore midfielder Josh Aranda (St. Louis, Mo. / DeSmet) came off the bench in both exhibition games ... turned in 31 quality minutes in the Northwestern exhibition, registering one shot.

Sherlock Holmes: Sophomore forward Jimmy Holmes (St. Louis, Mo. / Priory) has been shelved much of the preseason due to injury.

Red Ross: Sophomore goalkeeper Ross Kaufman (Louisville, Ky. / Dupont Manual) was steady in the second half against Northwestern ... turned in a 12-3-1 record with a 0.81 goals against average last season.

Reamed Out: Sophomore defender Tim Ream (St. Louis, Mo. / St. Dominic) played every minute in the preseason.

California Dreaming: Sophomore defender Rob Viviano (Orange, Calif. / Orange Lutheran) is a preseason All-Conference choice ... played all 90 minutes against both South Florida and Northwestern ... was named the 2006 A-10 Rookie of the Year and appeared on Soccer America's All-Rookie Team at the conclusion of last season.

Whiz Kid: Sophomore midfielder Scott Wisniewski (Dallas, Texas / Edward S. Marcus) came off the bench in both exhibition contests.

CB Radio: Freshman forward Charles Bryce (Plano, Texas/Jesuit) appeared in both exhibition matches ...displayed his speed and quickness in 16 minutes against Northwestern.

Case Study: Freshman defender Casey Herd (Arlington, Texas / Martin) came off the bench in both exhibition games ...broke up a Northwestern chance in the waning minutes of the match ... named a College Soccer News top 100 freshman to watch.

Donigan's Data: "Overall, I was pleased with our play during the exhibition season. We had the opportunity to play two potential top 20 teams, and we were able to get a good look at a variety of players in different situations. We are still making minor adjustments to our game, but right now I am pretty pleased with where we are."