 SLU Set for NCAA First-Round Matchup Against Drake
Nov. 20, 2008
What's on Tap: Saint Louis and Drake of the Missouri Valley Conference meet in the first round of the NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament Friday night at Robert R. Hermann Stadium. Game time is set for 7 p.m. Tickets: Tickets for Friday's match are currently on sale and can be purchased by calling the Billiken Ticket Office at (314) 977-4SLU. Cost is $8 for adults and $6 for youth. Tickets may also be purchased at the ticket gate the day of the game. College students with a valid ID will be given a discounted rate of $6. Following the Action: For fans unable to attend in person, the match will be video-streamed live and free of charge through www.slubillikens.com. Follow the watch link from the events tab on the front page of the website. Gametracker is also available for the match. About the Billikens: Saint Louis (11-4-5 overall) is making its third straight and 45th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Hermann Trophy candidate Kyle Patterson leads the team with 29 points (12G, 5A) while Brandon Barklage follows with 24 points, which includes a team-leading 10 assists. Kyle Hayes has 12 points (4G, 4A), and Dado Hamzagic has registered 11 points (3G, 5A) 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 0.77 GAA and seven shutouts.
Recapping Last Week: SLU, which claimed the fourth seed in the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship, topped Fordham 2-0 in the quarterfinals. Brandon Barklage tallied in the 76th minute to put the Bills on top 1-0, and Kyle Hayes notched a late insurance marker. Pat Disbennett made three saves in the shutout. Less than 24 hours later, SLU fell 2-0 to top-seeded Massachusetts in the semifinals. Getting Defensive: SLU leads the Atlantic 10 and is 22nd nationally in goals against average (0.75). In addition, the Billikens lead the league in fewest goals allowed (16) and shutouts (10). 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: Saint Louis is 16th in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 2.0 goals per game. Ten different Billikens have found the back of the net this season. Kyle Patterson (12G), Brandon Barklage (7G), Kyle Hayes (5G), Dado Hamzagic (3G), James Jaramillo (3G), Jimmy Holmes (3G) and Jonas Reiter (2G) have scored multiple times. In all, 14 Billikens have picked up at least one point this season. SLU has out-shot its opponents 277-207 and has doubled its opponents' corner kick total, holding a 142-67 advantage.
In Good Company: Senior Kyle Patterson's 12 goals are the most by a SLU scorer since Vedad Ibisevic registered 18 tallies in 2003. Additionally, Patterson's 28 points are the most since John DiRaimondo scored 28 points in 2005. Academic All-America: Senior Pat Disbennett is an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America, as selected by CoSIDA. Earlier this season, he earned Academic All-District honors, was named to the A-10 All-Academic Team and was one of 30 senior men's soccer student-athletes eligible for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Moving on Up: Kyle Patterson has broken into SLU's top-20 career scoring list. He is currently tied for 17th with SLU great Denny Hadican (1970-73) with 73 career points (29G, 15A). Century Club:SLU's win against Duquesne on Nov. 2 was the 100th for eighth-year head coach Dan Donigan. He joins Harry Keough (213) and Bob Clarke (204) as 100-game winners at SLU. NCAA History: The Billikens have qualified for the NCAA Tournament a record 45 times in the 49-year history of the event and have won a record 10 national championships. Saint Louis has a 65-32-5 (.662) record in NCAA Tournament action. Scouting Drake: The Bulldogs enter Friday's matchup with a 13-4-1 overall record. They were eliminated from the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament by Missouri State on penalty kicks in the semifinals, but still received an at-large bid thanks to quality wins against the likes of Cleveland State, Loyola (Ill.) and Evansville . The Bulldogs average just over 2.0 goals per game and are led in that category by Garrett Webb, who has scored eight times. Keeper Michael Drozd anchors a defense that yields 1.04 goals per game. The Bulldogs, who are making their first ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, are ranked 25th in the nation (NSCAA) and third in the NSCAA's Midwest region behind Creighton and Tulsa. Head coach Sean Holmes is in his 11th season with an 87-94-22 record. Series History: The two teams have met just once before, with SLU claiming a 2-1 victory on a neutral field in 1998 in a tournament hosted by Creighton. Polling Place: The Billikens have appeared in every major collegiate men's soccer poll every week this season. They rank 23rd in the NSCAA and 27th in the CollegeSoccerNews.com poll. Soccer Times ranks the Bills 24th overall. Soccer America tabs the Billikens 23rd in the country. SLU is ranked fourth in the NSCAA Middle-Atlantic region.
Hayes Named to TDS Men's College Team of the Week: Thanks to his six-point effort (2G, 2A) nearly three weeks ago, Kyle Hayes picked up his first national weekly honor Nov. 3 when TopDrawerSoccer.com named him to its Men's College Team of the Week. Hayes scored a goal and assisted on two more in the win against St. Bona, then added a late insurance goal against Duquesne. Barklage Claims Two National Team of the Week Honors: Senior Brandon Barklage has twice earned a spot on TopDrawerSoccer.com's Men's College Team of the Week. The latest was two weeks ago after he notched the game winner against then-No. 23 Charlotte. Previously, he landed on the squad after scoring a goal and assisting on another in a 3-0 Homecoming win against Missouri State. Patterson Named A-10 co-Player of the Week: Senior Kyle Patterson earned A-10 co-Player of the Week honors after netting a natural hat trick in the final 10 minutes of play to deliver a 3-0 victory over Xavier Oct. 17 at Hermann Stadium. It was Patterson's second career natural hat. Last season against Saint Joseph's, he notched three straight goals in a span of 2 minutes, 31 seconds, the second-fastest natural hat trick in NCAA history. 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 defensive prowess 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. 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.
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 two-time A-10 Coach of the Year, is 102-34-23 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 six of his eight campaigns. In the last three seasons combined, Donigan's Billikens have posted a 35-10-11 overall mark and a 22-4-1 ledger in A-10 regular-season games.
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 is in 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 is again serving as a volunteer assistant coach. |
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