Sept. 4, 2007

On Tap: No. 12 (NSCAA) Saint Louis continues its tough non-conference schedule when it travels to Durham, N.C., for this weekend's Duke/adidas Soccer Classic. The Billikens open with NC State at 4 p.m. (CT) on Friday, and face the No. 2 Blue Devils on Sunday in a 6:30 p.m. (CT) kickoff. SLU is coming off a 1-1 draw against No. 8 SMU in Dallas, which bumped the Billikens up nine spots in the latest coaches' poll.

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 on-line through the Billiken All-Access package on www.slubillikens.com.

Scouting NC State: The Wolfpack (2-0-0), who have historically contended for ACC titles, struggled to a 6-10-1 record and a 1-6-1 league mark a season ago. However, the `Pack return seven starters from last year's team and boast one of the best recruiting classes in the country. Led by All-ACC second team midfielder Alan Sanchez (8G, 1A), the Wolfpack should have an improved offense to better compete in the tough ACC. NC State began its season with 2-1 and 1-0 victories against Valparaiso and Delaware, respectively. Midfielders Ernesto Di Laudo, Orry Powers and Jorge Mora have provided the scoring early on for the Wolfpack. Head coach George Tarantini is 198-164-35 in 21 years with NC State.

The Series: Saint Louis is 2-0-1 all time against the Wolfpack, but the team's have not met since the 1995 season. Their last meeting was in 1995, when the Billikens claimed a 5-1 victory on a neutral field at a tournament hosted by Indiana University.

Scouting Duke: Ten starters return to the Blue Devils' lineup from last year's squad that won the ACC and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. All-American Michael Videira (8G, 7A) returns for his senior season, as does Spencer Wadsworth (8G, 14A) and junior Mike Grella (13G, 6A). The Blue Devils are off to a 2-0-0 record after dispatching Delaware 6-1 and Valparaiso 2-0 to open the season. Grella scored three goals over the weekend, earning him Top Drawer Soccer National Player of the Week honors. Head coach John Rennie, who has announced his retirement effective at the end of the 2007 season, is 401-153-33 in 29 season's at Duke, 445-199-57 in 37 years overall.

The Series: Saint Louis trails the series 0-2-0. The teams first met in 1992, with Duke claiming a 4-3 victory in Durham. The Blue Devil's topped the Bills at Hermann Stadium in 2005.

Hermann Trophy Showdown: A pair of Hermann Trophy candidates will battle it out in the midfield on Sunday. SLU junior Eric Sweetin and Duke senior Michael Videira were both 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.

Early Challenges: As usual, the Billikens will face one of the more challenging non-conference schedules in the country. No. 8 SMU, No. 2 Duke and No. 4 Indiana are all on the docket for the Bills.

Dan's Day: Dan Donigan, the 2006 A-10 Coach of the Year, is in his seventh year as head coach with a career record of 79-28-14 (.711). 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.

Junior back Calum Angus

In the Polls: Following SLU's 1-1 draw at No. 8 SMU, the NSCAA bumped the Billikens up from 22nd to 12th in the latest coaches' poll. College Soccer News has the Billikens 19th in their preseason poll, while www.topdrawersoccer.com put the Billikens at No. 22.

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 features two Hermann Trophy candidates: Saint Louis' Eric Sweetin and Duquesne's Travis MacKenzie.

Offensively Speaking: Junior Dado Hamzagic scored for the Billikens in their 1-1 draw at No. 8 SMU ... junior Brandon Barklage had three attempts in a three-minute sequence in the second half at No. 8 SMU, with one of those shots banging off the crossbar ... the Billikens out-shot their opponents 20-14 in the preseason and held a 17-6 advantage on corner kicks ... Hamzagic has tallied eight career goals, leading all current players in that category ... Barklage has 19 points (5G, 9A) to his credit after spending two seasons at New Mexico.

Getting Defensive:The backline fought off several legitimate scoring chances by No. 8 SMU ... senior keeper Pat Disbennett made four saves against the Mustangs ... defensive anchors Rob Viviano and Calum Angus played every minute of the SMU match.

Diesel: Senior keeper Pat Disbennett (St. Louis, Mo. / Webster Groves) started the match against No. 8 SMU, his first game action since Nov. 6, 2005 ... made four saves in the double overtime thriller.

Senior midfielder Brian Grazier

Grazin': Senior midfielder Brian Grazier (Edwardsville, Ill. / Edison Academic Center, Bradenton, Fla.) played every minute against No. 8 SMU.

Weekly Reeder: Senior forward Andrew Reeder (Burlington, N.J. / Pennington School) turned in a valuable 40-plus minutes against the Mustangs.

Certified Angus: Junior defender Calum Angus (Portsmouth, England) started in the back and played every minute at No. 8 SMU ... drew the foul that led to the issuance of a red card on a Mustang defender ... is a preseason All-Conference selection.

Brand New: Junior forward Brandon Barklage (St. Louis, Mo. / New Mexico) started the No. 8 SMU match ... got off three shots against the Mustangs ... nearly put the Bills up 2-0 late in the match, but his strike found the crossbar.

It's Magic: Junior midfielder Dado Hamzagic (St. Louis, Mo. / Mehlville) gave the Billikens a 1-0 lead at No. 8 SMU with a goal off his own rebound ... totaled three shots against the Mustangs.

From Across the Pond: Junior midfielder Kyle Patterson (Birmingham, England) started at No. 8 SMU and got one shot off.

That's Sweet: Junior midfielder Eric Sweetin (Overland Park, Kan. / Kansas City Rockhurst) played every minute at No. 8 SMU ... is a College Soccer News preseason second-team All-American in addition to a Hermann Trophy candidate.

Just Joshin': Sophomore midfielder Josh Aranda (St. Louis, Mo. / DeSmet) earned his first collegiate start and played every minute at No. 8 SMU.

Purple Hayes: Sophomore midfielder Kyle Hayes (St. Louis, Mo. / CBC) came off the bench for 22 minutes at No. 8 SMU.

Reamed Out: Sophomore defender Tim Ream (St. Louis, Mo. / St. Dominic) started at No. 8 SMU and played every minute in the backfield.

California Dreaming: Sophomore defender Rob Viviano (Orange, Calif. / Orange Lutheran) played every minute at No. 8 SMU ... is a preseason All-Conference choice.

Case Study: Freshman defender Casey Herd (Arlington, Texas / Martin) earned the start at No. 8 SMU after coming off the bench in both exhibition games ... named a College Soccer News top 100 freshman to watch.

Freshman forward Charles Bryce

CB Radio: Freshman forward Charles Bryce (Plano, Texas/Jesuit) made his collegiate debut against No. 8 SMU, turning in just over 20 minutes in a reserve role.

Key to Success: Freshman forward David Kekec (St. Louis, Mo. / Ladue) appeared in his first collegiate match at No. 8 SMU.

Donigan's Data: "We are in for a challenging weekend against two very good teams. NC State doesn't get the recognition it deserves. It is unfortunate that they play in the top soccer conference in the country, and I think they will surprise a lot of teams this year. By no means will we take them lightly. Duke is one of the premier teams in the country, and we are interested to see how we match up. It has to be a tremendous motivation for those players to send coach Rennie out on top."

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