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Sept. 17, 2007

On Tap: Fresh off its triumphant 2-1 victory over No. 2 Indiana last weekend, the Saint Louis Billikens travel to Peoria, Ill., to face the Bradley Braves on Saturday. Game time from Shea Stadium is slated for 7 p.m. SLU (2-1-2) is coming off its own Saint Louis/Nike Soccer Classic, where the Billikens were named co-champions after winning their two games.

Recapping Last Week: Saint Louis collected its first two victories of the season with a 1-0 victory against Loyola Marymount on Thursday and a 2-1 triumph against the second-ranked Hoosiers on Saturday. Midfielders Kyle Patterson and Brian Grazier tallied SLU's goals against Indiana, and sophomore keeper Ross Kaufman made five saves to preserve the SLU victory. Against LMU, junior midfielder Brandon Barklage scored on a low 30-yard shot in the 89th minute to deliver a 1-0 victory. Sophomore midfielder Josh Aranda was named co-MVP of the tournament, while Patterson, Kaufman and junior back Calum Angus were named to the All-Tournament team. SLU and No. 16 Creighton, which also went 2-0-0 in the tourney, were named co-champions of the event.

Scouting Bradley: The Braves, who are also idle until Saturday's match, enter the week 4-1-1 and are riding a two-game winning streak. BU's only setback was a 3-0 defeat at the hands of top-ranked Wake Forest in Winston-Salem on Sept. 9. On Sept. 7, the Braves played to a hard-fought 1-1 draw against North Carolina. BU has posted wins against Lipscomb, Belmont, Western Illinois and Cincinnati. Senior midfielder Drew DeGurian leads the team with eight points (3G, 2A), while sophomore Chris Cutshaw has posted six points (2G, 2A). Senior keeper Mike Haynes has seen every minute in goal and has a 0.96 GAA and two shutouts. Head coach Jim DeRose is in his 12th season at the helm of BU and boasts a 131-80-22 record.

The Series: The Billikens lead the series 3-0-0 with all games being played in St. Louis. The last time the teams met, SLU squeaked out a 1-0 victory on Nov. 2, 2003, on a goal from senior defender Kevin Wickart.

For Openers: With its 1-0 win against Loyola Marymount on Thursday, Saint Louis improved to 43-4-3 all-time in home openers.

Hermann Trophy Candidate: Saint Louis junior midfielder Eric Sweetin is among 29 players on the 2007 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy 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: The Billikens wrapped up a challenging start to their season with a respectable 2-1-2 record. Three of their first five opponents - SMU, Duke and Indiana - were nationally ranked. It will not get any easier for the Billikens, as their remaining three non-conference opponents have a combined record of 11-5-2.

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 81-29-15 (.708). 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 is serving as a volunteer assistant coach.

In the Polls: In polls released on Monday, CollegeSoccerNews.com ranks the Billikens ninth in the nation, while Soccer America has the Billikens ranked 22nd. The NSCAA and Soccer Times release their coaches' polls either late Monday or on Tuesday.

Youth is Served: The Billikens' nine-member recruiting class was ranked 22nd in the country by CollegeSoccerNews.com Freshman back Casey Herd (Dallas, Texas / Martin) was named a CSN 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 preseason 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 66-14-9 (.792) in eight seasons at Hermann Stadium, including a 2-0-0 mark this 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 had them 29th in the nation earlier this year. The league features two Hermann Trophy candidates: Saint Louis' Eric Sweetin and Duquesne's Travis MacKenzie.

Dado Hamzagic (pictured) assisted on Brian Grazier's goal against No. 2 Indiana.

Offensively Speaking: The Billikens are out-shooting their opponents 67-61 on the season ...mustered double-digit shot counts in both games last week ... fired seven shots on goal against No. 2 Indiana ... four different Billikens have scored this season, with Kyle Patterson leading the way with two tallies.

Getting Defensive: The Billikens limited the Loyola Marymount Lions to just six shots on Thursday, only one of which was on goal ... against the second-ranked Indiana Hoosiers, the Billikens fought off several dangerous IU chances, and SLU keeper Ross Kaufman stood tall in the net with five saves.

The Bee Gees: Senior defender Brandon Gasparovic (St. Louis, Mo. / CBC) has appeared in three games for the Billikens, including both contests last week ... came on for two minutes late in the matchup against No. 2 Indiana ...played the final nine minutes against Loyola Marymount.

Grazin': Senior midfielder Brian Grazier (Edwardsville, Ill. / Edison Academic Center, Bradenton, Fla.) scored the equalizer against No. 2 Indiana on Saturday, the first goal of his career.

Weekly Reeder: Senior forward Andrew Reeder (Burlington, N.J. / Pennington School) has seen playing time in all five matches this season ...came off the bench for 18 minutes in the Loyola Marymount tilt ... subbed in for 10 minutes against the second-ranked Hoosiers.

Certified Angus: Junior defender Calum Angus (Portsmouth, England) was a defensive stalwart in SLU's two games at the Saint Louis/Nike Soccer Classic, and for his effort was named to the All-Tournament team ... it was his second straight All-Tournament nod after earning the honor two weeks ago at the Duke/adidas Soccer Classic ... played all 90 minutes against both Loyola Marymount and No. 2 Indiana.

Brandon Barklage tallied his first goal as a Billiken against Loyola Marymount.

Brand New: Junior forward Brandon Barklage (St. Louis, Mo. / New Mexico) tallied his first goal as a Billiken against Loyola Marymount ... created an open look and fired a low shot just inside the left post for his first-career game winner ... is second on the team with 13 shots.

It's Magic: Junior forward Dado Hamzagic (St. Louis, Mo. / Mehlville) played all 90 minutes last week ... was especially dangerous against No. 2 Indiana and was credited with an assist on Brian Grazier's goal ...fired a game-high three shots against Loyola Marymount.

From Across the Pond: Junior midfielder Kyle Patterson (Birmingham, England) was named to CollegeSoccerNews.com's National Team of the Week after netting the game winner against No. 2 Indiana ... dictated the flow of the Hoosiers' match with his play wide in the midfield ... named to Saint Louis/Nike Soccer Classic All-Tournament team ... SLU's leading scorer with four points (2G, 0A).

That's Sweet: Junior midfielder Eric Sweetin (Overland Park, Kan. / Kansas City Rockhurst) missed the LMU and Indiana match after suffering an ankle injury last Wednesday in training ...is currently listed day-to-day ... is a CollegeSoccerNews.com preseason second-team All-American in addition to a Hermann Trophy candidate.

Just Joshin': Sophomore midfielder Josh Aranda (St. Louis, Mo. / DeSmet) was named Saint Louis/Nike Soccer Classic tournament co-MVP ... was the stabalizing force in the central midfield as SLU was without Hermann Trophy candidate Eric Sweetin ... played every minute last week, and arguably had the best game of his career against No. 2 Indiana.

Purple Hayes: Sophomore midfielder Kyle Hayes (St. Louis, Mo. / CBC) started up top in back-to-back games last weekend ...had several good runs against No. 2 Indiana, nearly netting the equalizer in the first half ... slipped back and performed nicely in the midfield when Brian Grazier left in the 61st minute due to injury.

Red Ross: Sophomore goalkeeper Ross Kaufman (Louisville, Ky. / Dupont Manual) has a 2-1-1 record with a 0.82 goals against average ... stopped five shots in picking up the victory against No. 2 Indiana, his second-straight victory against the Hoosiers ... stopped the only shot that came his way in the Loyola Marymount contest.

Sophomore Tim Ream assisted on the game winner against Loyola Marymount.

Reamed Out: Sophomore defender Tim Ream (St. Louis, Mo. / St. Dominic) turned in a valuable 90 minutes on defense in both games last week ... registered his second career assist when he fed the ball to Brandon Barklage for the game winner against Loyola Marymount.

That There is an RV: Sophomore defender Rob Viviano (Orange, Calif. / Orange Lutheran) played every minute of SLU's two games last weekend ... cleaned up several dangerous opportunities against Loyola Marymount ...quarterbacked a defense that turned aside 13 Indiana chances.

B.B. King: Freshman Beau Bellomy (Dallas, Texas / Jesuit) came off the bench in both games last weekend in his first collegiate appearances ...turned in nine minutes against No. 2 Indiana after playing six minutes in the Loyola Marymount tilt.

CB Radio: Freshman forward Charles Bryce (Plano, Texas / Jesuit) came off the bench for 10 energetic minutes against the second-ranked Hoosiers.

Case Study: Freshman defender Casey Herd (Arlington, Texas / Martin) played every minute of both games last weekend after missing the previous week due to injury ... took two shots against No. 2 Indiana ... named a CollegeSoccerNews.com top 100 freshman to watch.

Donigan's Data: "I expect our game at Bradley to be another difficult and competitive match. Anytime you play on the road against a team like Bradley that already has some quality games under its belt, you can't expect anything but a very difficult challenge."

Saint Louis Billikens Men's Soccer

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