Aug. 23, 2010

What's on Tap: Saint Louis concludes its exhibition slate this week with a pair of matches. First, the Billikens head to Louisville to face the 20th-ranked Cardinals Tuesday in a 4 p.m. (CT) kickoff. SIU Edwardsville then comes to Robert R. Hermann Stadium Friday for a 7 p.m. matchup.

Ticket Information: Tickets for all men's soccer home games at Robert R. Hermann Stadium can be purchased at the gate, by phone at (314) 977-4SLU or online at www.slubillikens.com. Prices for single-game tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for youth. Groups of 20 or more receive discounted tickets for $4 apiece. Students with a valid SLU ID card receive free admission.

Gameday Promotions: The first 1,000 fans at Friday's game against SIUE receive a free schedule cup, compliments of Humphrey's Restaurant.

Following the Action: All Billiken home games this season will be video streamed live on the Internet via Billiken All-Access at www.slubillikens.com. Subscriptions are available for $79.95 annually or $9.95 a month, though Friday's exhibition match against SIUE will be streamed free of charge. All home games, and selected road matches, will be available free of charge on GameTracker.

About the Billikens: The reigning Atlantic 10 Conference champion Billikens return seven starters and 18 total letterwinners from last year's club that finished 15-7 overall and 7-2 in the A-10. SLU qualified for its fourth straight NCAA Tournament after capturing its first A-10 tournament title. In the NCAA Tournament, the Billikens ousted Missouri State 1-0 in the first round at Hermann Stadium. The 2009 season came to an end following a 3-2 overtime defeat at eventual NCAA quarterfinalist Tulsa in the second round.

Bills Picked to Defend A-10 Title: Saint Louis was picked to capture the 2010 A-10 men's soccer crown, according to a vote of the league's head coaches.

Evansville Exhibition Recap: In the Billikens' exhibition opener last Friday at Hermann Stadium, SLU and Evansville played to a 1-1 draw. Sophomore midfielder Alex Sweetin opened the scoring with a goal in the 12th minute off an assist from freshman forward Adnan Gabeljic. Evansville answered with the equalizer several minutes later to complete the scoring. All 26 players who were available saw playing time for the Billikens.

New Leader: Mike McGinty became the sixth head coach in Billiken history in March 2010. He came to SLU after an 11-year stint at the University of Virginia, where he served as associate head coach for the 2009 NCAA national champion Cavaliers. McGinty brought in an entirely new staff consisting of assistant coaches Jason O'Keefe and Mark Santel, senior graduate manager John DiRaimondo and volunteer assistant (goalkeepers) Jesse Miech.

Billikens Return Leading Scorer: Junior forward/midfielder Mike Roach is the A-10's top returning scorer after accumulating 24 points (11G, 2A) a season ago. Earlier this preseason, Roach was named to the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List and was tabbed a preseason third-team All-American by CollegeSoccerNews.com. In addition, he was selected to the A-10's preseason All-Conference team.

All-Conference Nods: Sophomore midfielder/forward Alex Sweetin joined Roach on the preseason All-Conference squad. In addition, freshman forward/midfielder Adnan Gabeljic and freshman defender Christian Briggs were named to the league's preseason All-Rookie team. Gabeljic, who enrolled at SLU last semester and participated in spring camp, was the Missouri Gatorade High School Player of the Year and the Missouri Class 3 Offensive Player of the Year in 2009. Briggs, a native of Trinidad & Tobago, has been active in his country's national team setup.

Scouting Louisville: The 20th-ranked Cardinals are coming off their best season in program history, winning the 2009 BIG EAST Red Division title with a program-best 13-3-4 overall record and an 8-2-1 league record. Louisville made its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance but was knocked out by Indiana in the first round. Colin Rolfe, the preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, returns after leading the Cardinals in scoring with 22 points (10G, 2A). U of L ousted Lipscomb 2-0 Saturday in its exhibition opener.

Series History: Saint Louis leads the all-time series 12-2-0, with the last meeting occurring in 2004. SLU and Louisville played regularly as members of Conference USA from 1995-2004.

Scouting SIU Edwardsville: The Cougars have completed their transition from NCAA Division II and are now full-fledged members of the Missouri Valley Conference. SIUE returns 18 letterwinners from last season's club that posted a 5-9-3 record. Senior forward Kevin Bielicki led the team last year with seven points (2G, 3A). Junior keeper Scott Meyer returns to the net after starting all 17 games last year and posting a 0.93 goals against average. Head coach Kevin Kalish, a 1999 Saint Louis University graduate, is in his third season at the helm.

Series History: Saint Louis leads the all-time series 25-9-1, with the last regular-season meeting coming in 1995.

Back for More: Additional returnees for the Billikens include senior midfielder Stephen Bortolon, who was fourth on the squad in scoring with 10 points (3G, 4A) last year. Bortolon is one of three seniors on the roster, joining defender James Dice and forward/midfielder Jimmy Holmes. Junior defender Alex Johnston appeared in every match last year, while sophomore midfielders Nick Maglasang and Michael Robson played in 21 and 18 games, respectively. Junior midfielder Beau Bellomy saw action in 20 games last year, while sophomore forward/midfielder Benny Estes appeared in 12 games and scored twice. Sophomore defender Jake Brown played in 13 games (11 starts), while sophomore defender Jordan Wolff appeared in 11 matches. Defender/midfielder Joda Holloway, defender Ryan Moses, forward/midfielder Devon Newport and midfielder Jonathan Svigos return for their sophomore campaigns after seeing extensive playing time in the spring. Making his return to the Billiken roster is junior forward/midfielder Charles Bryce, who re-enrolled at SLU after missing last season. Sophomore Mark Pais is the lone returning goalkeeper on the roster.

Fresh Faces: The 2010 roster features 10 newcomers (six true freshmen, four transfers). Among the transfers are freshmen keepers Dillon Saffle (Central Florida) and Nick Shackelford (California). Redshirt freshman midfielder Graham Basecke (Indiana) and junior defender Chad Vandegriffe (SMU) also transferred to the Billikens. The true freshmen making their debuts this year are defender Christian Briggs, forward/midfielder Adnan Gabeljic, keeper Jordan Gladstone and midfielders Jon Roeckle, Mike Roettgers and Sito Sasieta.

Looking Ahead: The Bills' season opener is Wednesday, Sept. 1, at New Mexico. Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. (CT). SLU's home opener is set for Saturday, Sept. 4, against No. 18 South Florida at 7 p.m.

Saint Louis Billikens Men's Soccer