 Xavier, Dayton Visit for Key A-10 Matches
Oct. 15, 2008
What's on Tap: The 15th-ranked Billikens open the home portion of their Atlantic 10 Conference men's soccer slate this weekend when Xavier and Dayton visit Robert R. Hermann Stadium. SLU (5-1-5, 1-1-0 A-10) entertains Xavier at 7 p.m. Friday before welcoming Dayton Sunday at 1 p.m. During halftime of the Dayton match, the 1973 national championship team will be honored in a special ceremony where they will be given national championship rings. Billiken All-Access: All Billiken home games this season will be video streamed live on the Internet via Billiken All-Access at www.slubillikens.com. In addition, the La Salle video stream will be made available to subscribers through the Billiken All-Access interface. Subscriptions are available for $79.95 annually or $9.95 a month. In addition to the games, fans can view player interviews, highlights and the Dan Donigan Show at no charge. GameTracker is again available free of charge in 2008. 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. Last Time Out: Saint Louis opened A-10 play on the East Coast and returned with a 1-1-0 record. Last Friday against La Salle, the Billikens rallied from a pair of one-goal deficits behind goals from Kyle Hayes and Brandon Barklage. Kyle Patterson then notched his fourth game winner of the season with time winding down to give the Bills the 3-2 triumph. Sunday at Fordham, SLU yielded a first-half tally and the Rams hung on for a 1-0 victory.
About the Billikens: Saint Louis is led in scoring by Hermann Trophy candidate Kyle Patterson's 14 points (6G, 2A). Brandon Barklage follows with 12 points, which includes a league-high six assists. James Jaramillo has seven points (3G, 1A), while Jonas Reiter and Scott Wisniewski each have four points. The Bills are strong on the defensive end and boast a formidable back line in Alex Johnston, Calum Angus, Rob Viviano and Tim Ream. Keeper Pat Disbennett has a 0.58 GAA with five shutouts. Getting Defensive: SLU leads the Atlantic 10 in fewest goals allowed per game (0.64), goals against average (0.58) and shutouts (6). Saint Louis has yielded just 127 shots on the season, only 51 of which have found the goal for a .055 opponent shot percentage. The Billikens have not allowed more than two goals in a game since Oct. 6, 2007, a 3-3 tie against Buffalo.
On The Offensive: Seven different Billikens have found the back of the net this season, including Kyle Patterson (6G), James Jaramillo (3G), Brandon Barklage (2G) and Jonas Reiter (2G) who have done so multiple times. In all, 11 Billikens have picked up at least one point this season. SLU has out-shot its opponents 139-127 and has nearly doubled its opponents' corner kick total, holding an 80-44 advantage. Scouting Xavier: The Musketeers have struggled to a 1-7-3 overall mark, but they claimed a pair of points during the opening weekend of A-10 play by tying George Washington and Richmond. Their lone win came at Kentucky on Oct. 4. Andy Dimbi and Ricardo Sutherland lead the team in scoring with three goals apiece. Keepers Adam Sokolowski and Ryan Engelmann have both seen significant minutes, with Sokolowski playing the majority and owning a 1.24 GAA with three shutouts. Head coach Dave Schureck is in his fourth season at Xavier with a 20-37-11 record. Series History: Saint Louis leads the all-time series 4-0-1. The last meeting came in 2006, with the two teams playing to a 2-2 draw at Robert R. Hermann Stadium. Scouting Dayton: The Flyers, who play at Charlotte Friday before traveling to play the Bills, enter the week 8-2-1 overall and 2-0-0 in the league. They are on a six-match winning streak, including their last two when they topped Richmond and George Washington to open A-10 play. Florian DeCamps leads the team with 16 points (6G, 4A), while Alex Torda (6G, 2A) picked up A-10 Player of the Week honors last week after amassing seven points (3G, 1A) in two games. Head coach Dennis Currier is in his fourth season at UD with a 34-20-12 record. Series History: The Billikens own an 11-0-1 overall record in a series that dates back to 1959. In A-10 play, the two teams have played to a 1-0-1 record, with SLU winning the last meeting 2-0 at Hermann Stadium in 2006. Polling Place: The Billikens appear in every major collegiate men's soccer poll. They rank 10th in the CollegeSoccerNews.com poll, and Soccer America ranks the Bills 13th overall. Soccer Times tabs the Billikens 16th overall. SLU is ranked 15th in the country by the NSCAA, which also ranks the Bills first in the Middle-Atlantic region. Ream Named A-10 Player of the Week: Junior Tim Ream drew the first weekly honors of his career when he was tabbed A-10 Player of the Week and a member of TopDrawerSoccer.com's Men's College Team of the Week for the period ending Oct. 5. The defender has been instrumental in SLU's recent scoreless streak while playing every minute in the back. He recently moved to his traditional left-back position and has created numerous scoring chances with runs up the flank.
Barklage Claims TDS Team of the Week Honor: After scoring a goal and assisting on the game-winner against Missouri State, Brandon Barklage earned a spot on TopDrawerSoccer.com's Men's College Team of the Week. It's the first weekly honor of the season for Barklage, who earned one team of the week honor last season. Jaramillo Earns National Recognition: James Jaramillo earned a spot on CollegeSoccerNews.com's National Team of the Week after netting the game-winner against Denver. In addition to his scoring capabilities, Jaramillo has been strong all season defensively as a cog in the central midfield. Patterson Honored: Thanks to his eight-point (3G, 2A) effort at the Diadora Challenge Sept. 5-7, Kyle Patterson landed on all major National Teams of the Week in addition to being named National Player of the Week by TopDrawerSoccer.com. He appeared on CollegeSoccerNews.com's National Team of the Week and was recognized by Soccer America on its Men's Team of the Week. Reiter Claims First Weekly Award: Saint Louis freshman Jonas Reiter earned co-Rookie of the Week honors from the Atlantic 10 Conference for his play up top in SLU's two wins at the Diadora Challenge. He notched the first goals of his career in the Portland match when he netted back-to-back tallies in less than two minutes late in the match. Disbennett a Lowe's Senior CLASS Nominee: Keeper Pat Disbennett is one of 30 players selected as a candidate for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for men's soccer. The award, given annually to senior student-athletes across nine NCAA Division I sports, is based on dedication and achievement in four areas: Classroom, Character, Community and Competition.
Hermann Trophy Candidates: Saint Louis has three players on the 2008 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List. Senior midfielder Eric Sweetin was named to the Watch List for the second straight season, while seniors Calum Angus and Kyle Patterson appeared for the first time. In November, the 48-member Watch List will be narrowed to 15 semifinalists, with three finalists to be announced in early December. The award, presented to the nation's top collegiate soccer player, will be announced at the Missouri Athletic Club in downtown St. Louis on Jan. 9, 2008. Preseason Nods: In addition to being named to the Hermann Trophy Watch List, Calum Angus and Kyle Patterson picked up several other preseason accolades. Angus was named a Soccer America and CollegeSoccerNews.com preseason first-team All-America selection, while Patterson was named to the second team. The duo was also named preseason All-Conference by Atlantic 10 coaches, as was senior forward Dado Hamzagic. In addition, freshmen Jonas Reiter and Keegan Smith were named to the league's All-Rookie team and were listed as two of the "100 Freshmen To Keep An Eye On in 2008." Dan's Day: SLU head coach Dan Donigan, the 2007 NSCAA Middle-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year and reigning back-to-back A-10 Coach of the Year, is 96-31-22 in eight seasons at the helm. He ranks in the top five in winning percentage among active Division I head coaches with at least five years of experience. Donigan has led the Billikens to the NCAA Tournament in five of his seven campaigns. In the last three seasons combined, Donigan's Billikens have posted a 30-8-11 overall mark and a 17-2-1 ledger in A-10 regular-season games.
Robert R. Hermann Stadium: The Billikens are tough to beat on Robert R. Hermann Stadium's state-of-the-art natural grass surface. SLU is 72-15-13 in eight seasons at Hermann Stadium, including 6-1-2 last season. In those eight seasons, the Billikens are 6-2-2 on their home pitch in NCAA Tournament action. Great Fans: The Billikens attracted an average of 2,116 fans for 10 home dates at Hermann Stadium last season, which ranked ninth in the nation. The Billikens led the nation in average attendance in 2003, 2001 and 1999 and have ranked in the top 10 since 1999. The Homecoming match against Missouri State on Sept. 27 drew 5,785, the second-largest crowd in Hermann Stadium history. On the Sidelines: Once again, the Billikens boast a full complement of assistant coaches in 2008. Matt Tutton enters his second season as an assistant, while Dave Beck is in his third year with the Billikens. Martin Hutton is in his second season as a graduate assistant in charge of goalkeepers. In addition, U.S. National Team assistant coach Mike Sorber will again serve as a volunteer assistant coach. Ream's Rundown: Junior defender Tim Ream is keeping a blog this season, a feature available only on www.slubillikens.com. It provides a behind-the-scenes look at the men's soccer squad and is updated periodically. |
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