 Billikens Welcome Tulsa for Homecoming
Sept. 23, 2009
What's on Tap: After playing five consecutive matches on the road, the Saint Louis men's soccer squad returns to Robert R. Hermann Stadium to host Tulsa Saturday, Sept. 26, for Homecoming. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m., with the traditional fireworks display taking place during halftime. Following the Action: All Billiken 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, campus radio station KSLU will provide free live audio of home matches at kslu.slu.edu. GameTracker for all home games is available free of charge at www.slubillikens.com. Follow SLU Soccer on Twitter: For news and notes on Billiken men's soccer, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SLUMensSoccer. In addition, the department of athletics has an official Twitter page at www.twitter.com/SLU_Billikens. Half-Century Team: As part of Saint Louis University's celebration of the "First 50 Years" of SLU soccer, fans had an opportunity to choose the Billiken Half-Century Team, a roster comprised of 12 offensive players, eight defensive players, two goalkeepers and two coaches. Online voting has closed, and the 24 Billikens named to the team will be recognized, along with the more than 450 SLU men's soccer alumni, at the Clemson match Saturday, Oct. 3. 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 receive free admission. Calling All Alumni: All Saint Louis men's soccer alumni and their families are invited to a pregame tailgate Saturday, Oct. 3, as part of the "First 50 Years" of SLU soccer. Please RSVP to Margo Lubus at billikenclub@slu.edu or by phone at (314) 977-8180. Prior to the game that night, the 1959 team will be honored in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Billikens' first national title, while all SLU alumni and members of the Billiken Half-Century Team will be recognized at halftime. The Billikens will wear commemorative blue uniforms with gold script and numbers to showcase the "Golden Anniversary" of SLU soccer.
A Glance at the Bills: Saint Louis enters the weekend with a 3-3-0 record and is receiving votes in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) coaches poll. The Billikens have won two of their last three matches but are coming off a 4-0 defeat at top-ranked Akron. Sophomore forward Mike Roach has tallied in all but two games and leads the team with five goals. Freshman midfielder Nick Maglasang drew Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Week plaudits two weeks ago and is tied with sophomore forward Beau Bellomy with three points (1G, 1A). Freshman keeper Mark Pais has started the last three matches and owns a 1.66 goals against average and a 2-1-0 record. Recapping Last Week: The Billikens opened the University of Akron Tournament last Friday with a 1-0 victory against Florida International. Mike Roach scored the only goal SLU would need at 21:49. Mark Pais made three saves to secure the Billikens' first shutout victory of the season. The Billikens dropped Sunday's match against No. 1 Akron 4-0. Roach and senior midfielder Josh Aranda were named to the All-Tournament team. Scouting the Golden Hurricane: Tulsa enters Saturday's match with a 3-3-1 record, though two of those losses have come against ranked opponents (No. 1 Akron and then-No. 9 Northwestern). The Golden Hurricane topped Bradley 2-1 their last time out. Senior forward Jose Parada leads the team with nine points (4G, 1A), while sophomore midfielder Corey Albertson follows with five points (2G, 1A). Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year, junior forward Ashley McInnes, missed time early in the year with an injury and has one goal to his credit. Tulsa entered the season with a No. 12 ranking (NSCAA) after finishing 16-4-3, winning Conference USA and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament a season ago. Head coach Tom McIntosh is in his 15th season at Tulsa with a 155-106-25 record. Series History: Saint Louis leads 5-0-0 in a series that dates back to 1974. The two squads last met in 2003, when the Billikens picked up a goal from Vedad Ibisevic to win 1-0 at Robert R. Hermann Stadium. In the A-10: Sophomore Mike Roach is second in the Atlantic 10 Conference with five goals. In addition, he is tied for first in game-winning goals (two) and third in shots (20). A-10 Honors: Freshman midfielder Nick Maglasang was named A-10 Rookie of the Week Sept. 14. Against Loyola Chicago Sept. 12, Maglasang scored a goal and added an assist to help the Billikens to a 3-1 victory. New Look Billikens: Saint Louis has fielded 11 players who did not see playing time in a Billiken uniform last season. Included in that group are seven players who have drawn starts for the Billikens this season. Freshmen Alex Sweetin and Nick Maglasang have started all six matches for the Billikens, while fellow freshman Jacob Brown started the first two matches of the year before suffering an injury against Washington. Transfer Time: Sophomore Mike Roach, who spent two seasons with the Indiana men's soccer program, has returned to his native St. Louis and leads the Bills with five goals. 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 has started all six matches. Holmes Lost for Season: Senior Jimmy Holmes suffered a season-ending injury in the victory against Loyola Chicago. He will apply for a medical hardship that could grant him an additional year of competition. Preseason All-American: Senior Tim Ream earned a spot on CollegeSoccerNews.com's third-team preseason All-America squad. Ream has garnered All-Region accolades from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) the past two seasons. In addition, he has received All-Conference accolades in each of his three seasons with the Billikens, drawing second-team plaudits the past two years after earning All-Rookie recognition as a freshman. Drawing Praise: Saint Louis' newcomer 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. Maglasang and Sweetin were tabbed as two of "100 Freshmen to Watch in 2009" by CollegeSoccerNews.com. Dan's Day: Ninth-year head coach Dan Donigan boasts a 106-38-23 career record. His season-opening .711 win percentage made 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 38-14-11 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 are benefiting 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: Saint Louis hosts two games next week. UMKC comes to town Wednesday, Sept. 30, while Clemson visits Saturday, Oct. 3. First whistle at Hermann Stadium for both games is set for 7 p.m. --- www.slubillikens.com --- |
|
