Nov. 19, 2007

2007 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship Bracket (PDF)

On Tap: No. 12 Saint Louis entertains Illinois-Chicago on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament. Kick-off at Robert R. Hermann Stadium is set for 7 p.m. UIC (11-5-5) received an automatic bid to the tournament after winning the Horizon League, while SLU received an at-large bid after completing its regular season with a 12-2-4 record. The winner of Friday's match advances to face ninth-seeded Northwestern on Wednesday, Nov. 28, in Evanston, Ill.

Following the Action: Friday's match can be followed live on GameTracker on SLU's official Web site, www.slubillikens.com. Tickets may be purchased at the gate, at any Metrotix location or by calling the SLU box office at (314) 977-4SLU beginning at 10 a.m. on Tuesday. Prices range from $8 for adults to $6 for children.

Recapping Last Week: The top-seeded Billikens played to a scoreless draw against Charlotte before being eliminated in a penalty-kick shootout in the semifinals of the 2007 Atlantic 10 Conference Men's Soccer Championship in Dayton, Ohio. Senior keeper Pat Disbennett made four saves in regulation to secure the shutout, then made a pair of dazzling saves in the shootout. However, Charlotte's Andres Cuero connected in round five of the shootout to help the Niners secure a spot in the A-10 title game. Junior forward Dado Hamzagic, sophomore defender Tim Ream and junior midfielder Eric Sweetin were named to the A-10 All-Championship team.

About Saint Louis: The Billikens are making their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance, and 44th overall, after posting a 12-2-4 record during the 2007 slate. It is head coach Dan Donigan's fifth appearance in the tourney in his seven-year tenure. In the latest NCAA statistical report, the Billikens rank sixth in the nation in scoring offense. Leading the way is junior midfielder Kyle Patterson with 24 points (10G, 4A). Sophomore forward Scott Wisniewski follows with 18 points (7G, 4A), while junior midfielder Dado Hamzagic has five goals and four assists for 14 points.

About Illinois-Chicago: The Flames are making their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance and fourth overall. A winner of its last five, Illinois-Chicago topped Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Wisconsin-Green Bay last weekend to capture its third Horizon League tournament title and first since 2000. The Flames are led in scoring by Cesar Zambrano's 19 points (6G, 7A). Matt Spiess and Pavle Dudjer follow with 13 points, while Charlie Trout has tallied 10 points. Jovan Bubonja is one of the top keepers in the country with a 0.57 GAA and nine shutouts. Head coach John Trask is in his fourth season at the helm of the Flames with a 31-13-12 record.

The Illinois-Chicago Series: The Billikens own a 7-1-1 advantage over the Flames in a series that dates back to the 1960s. Last season, UIC topped the Bills 1-0 in the season opener for both teams. The Flames and Billikens met in the NCAA Tournament once before, with the Billikens claiming a 3-2 victory at Hermann Stadium on Nov. 21, 1999.

NCAA History: The Billikens have qualified for the NCAA Tournament a record 44 times in the 49-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.

Sophomore Scott Wisniewski is second on the team with 18 points (7G, 4A).

Streaking: Saint Louis is unbeaten in its last seven matches. The Billikens have suffered only one loss in their last 15 matches, a 1-0 defeat against eventual A-10 tournament champion Massachusetts.

That's Offensive: During its current seven-game unbeaten streak, Saint Louis has outscored its opponents 26-4. In their final three regular-season games, the Billikens have tallied 18 goals, their most productive three-game stretch since the 1972 national championship team scored 23 goals in three games.

Getting Defensive: The Billikens have combined an explosive offensive performance during their recent streak with an equally formidable defensive effort. Opponents have averaged just 11 shots per game in the last six matches. The Billikens have yielded just one goal or less in their last nine, shutting out their opponents on four different occasions during the stretch.

Quick Strikes: Kyle Patterson's natural hat trick on Nov. 2 against Saint Joseph's came in 2 minutes, 31 seconds, which is the second-fastest in NCAA history. John Stone of SIU Edwardsville scored three straight in 2:15 in 1985. IPFW's Chas Perry is the next closest, netting the hat trick in 5:23.

Scoring Binge: Sophomore forward Jimmy Holmes scored a goal in the Bills' final six regular-season games, while Scott Wisniewski had scored in four straight before the scoreless draw with Charlotte last Friday.

Spreading the Wealth: Ten different Billikens have scored so far this season, which is the most since 11 players found the back of the net in 2005. Four Billikens - Beau Bellomy, Charles Bryce, Brian Grazier and Jimmy Holmes - have scored their first career goals during the 2007 slate.

National Recognition: Seven different Billikens have appeared on National Teams of the Week this season. Brandon Barklage is the latest to earn the nod, having landed on CollegeSoccerNews.com's National Team of the Week (Nov. 12) after scoring a goal and adding two assists against Charlotte. Kyle Patterson was named to two Teams of the Week (TopDrawerSoccer.com and CollegeSoccerNews.com) last week after earning CSN National Team of the Week honors earlier this year. Tim Ream was named to both Soccer America's and CollegeSoccerNews.com's list for the period ending Oct. 28. In addition, Calum Angus landed on TopDrawerSoccer.com's College Team of the Week. Rob Viviano was selected to TopDrawerSoccer.com's National Team of the Week (Oct. 15) after helping the Bills to shutouts in their first two league games. Dado Hamzagic appeared on CollegeSoccerNews.com's Team of the Week for the period ending Sept. 30 for his dominating play against Central Florida. Josh Aranda, who was named co-MVP of the Saint Louis/Nike Soccer Classic, earned a spot on TopDrawerSoccer.com's National Team of the Week (Sept. 16) after his strong play in the midfield in the tourney.

Polling Place: In final regular-season rankings, SLU was ranked eighth by Soccer America and CollegeSoccerNews.com, 11th by Soccer Times and 12th in the NSCAA coaches poll. The Billikens held the top spot all year in the NSCAA's Mid-Atlantic Region.

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 71-15-10 (.792) in eight seasons at Hermann Stadium, including a 6-1-1 mark this season. In those eight seasons, the Billikens are 6-2-1 on their home pitch in NCAA Tournament action.

Sophomore Josh Aranda is one of seven Billikens who have claimed National Team of the Week honors.

Great Fans: Saint Louis drew 5,758 fans for Homecoming against Central Florida, the second-largest crowd in Robert R. Hermann Stadium history. SLU ranked seventh nationally in average attendance in 2006 by attracting 2,470 fans for 10 regular-season dates. The Billikens led the nation in average attendance in 2003, 2001 and 1999. Since 1999, the Billikens have not ranked lower than seventh in attendance.

Dan's Day: Dan Donigan, who has claimed A-10 Coach of the Year honors in back-to-back years, is in his seventh year as head coach with a career record of 91-30-17 (.721). He was the 2003 NSCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year. Donigan finished 18-2-0 in his debut, which is the best record posted by a Billikens' first-year head coach, and was Conference USA's 2001 Coach of the Year. Donigan has led the Billikens to the NCAA Tournament in five of his seven 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.

Standing Pat: Senior keeper Pat Disbennett (St. Louis, Mo. / Webster Groves) made four saves against Charlotte for his first shutout of the season ... also made two stops in the penalty-kick shootout ... has a 0.75 GAA in 482-plus minutes of action.

The Bee Gees: Senior midfielder/defender Brandon Gasparovic (St. Louis, Mo. / CBC) had been a solid replacement in the midfield before recently transitioning into the back ...was one of three players who made an appearance of the bench in the Charlotte tilt.

Senior midfielder Brian Grazier is a catalyst in the middle for the Bills.

Grazin': Senior midfielder Brian Grazier (Edwardsville, Ill. / Edison Academic Center, Bradenton, Fla.) has a career-high six points (1G, 4A) on the season.

Weekly Reeder: Senior forward Andrew Reeder (Burlington, N.J. / Pennington School) has seen playing time in 13 matches this season, making one start.

Certified Angus: Junior defender Calum Angus (Portsmouth, England) was named A-10 Defensive Player of the Year ... left the Charlotte match midway through the first half with an injury.

Brand New: Junior midfielder Brandon Barklage (St. Louis, Mo. / New Mexico) leads the team with five assists to go along with three goals for 11 points ... sent a chance just wide of the far post in SLU's best scoring opportunity versus Charlotte.

It's Magic: Junior forward Dado Hamzagic (St. Louis, Mo. / Mehlville) is an All-Conference first-team selection ... third on the team in scoring with 14 points (5G, 4A) ... named to the A-10 All-Championship team.

From Across the Pond: Junior midfielder Kyle Patterson (Birmingham, England) leads the team and is second in the A-10 with 24 points (10G, 4A) ... is the A-10 Offensive Player of the Year ... connected on his penalty kick in the shootout versus Charlotte.

That's Sweet: Junior midfielder Eric Sweetin (Overland Park, Kan. / Kansas City Rockhurst) is a Hermann Trophy candidate and a first-team All-Conference selection ... stabilized the midfield for all 110 minutes versus Charlotte.

Just Joshin': Sophomore midfielder Josh Aranda (St. Louis, Mo. / DeSmet) has filled in on the back line the last six games ...has two assists on the season.

Sophomore Jimmy Holmes has scored six goals in his last seven games.

Sherlock Holmes: Sophomore forward Jimmy Holmes (St. Louis, Mo. / Priory) scored a goal in six straight games to end the regular season ... came off the bench for 48 minutes versus Charlotte.

Red Ross: Sophomore goalkeeper Ross Kaufman (Louisville, Ky. / Dupont Manual) leads the A-10 with a 0.66 GAA and is tied for third with six shutouts.

Reamed Out: Sophomore defender Tim Ream (St. Louis, Mo. / St. Dominic) is a second-team All-Conference selection ... earned a spot on the A-10 All-Championship team for his play in the back in the shutout against Charlotte ... connected on his chance in the penalty-kick shootout.

That There is an RV: Sophomore defender Rob Viviano (Orange, Calif. / Orange Lutheran) has started the last two matches after missing time due to injury ... honorable-mention All-Conference ... played all 110 minutes against Charlotte.

Whiz Kid: Sophomore midfielder Scott Wisniewski (Dallas, Texas / Edward S. Marcus) is second on the team with 18 points (7G, 4A) ... led the league with 16 points (6G, 4A) in conference games only ...second-team All-Conference selection.

Freshman Beau Bellomy leads the Billikens newcomers with four goals.

B.B. King: Freshman midfielder Beau Bellomy (Dallas, Texas / Jesuit) has nine points (4G, 1A) ... three of his goals have come in league play ... named to the A-10 Rookie Team.

Case Study: Freshman defender Casey Herd (Arlington, Texas / Martin) came off the bench for 53 minutes in the A-10 Championship match against Charlotte ... named a CollegeSoccerNews.com top 100 freshman to watch.

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