Sept. 8, 2010

THIS WEEK - Saint Louis women's soccer (1-2-2) begins the second half of its non-conference schedule with two contests this week. The Billikens travel to Indianapolis Friday, Sept. 10, to square off against Butler (1-4-0) at 4 p.m. (CT). SLU then begins a three-game home stand Sunday, Sept. 12, with a 1 p.m. match against No. 18 Louisville (4-0-0) at Robert R. Hermann Stadium.

TICKET INFORMATION - Tickets for all women'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.

TICKET SPECIAL FOR MILITARY FAMILIES - Sunday, Sept. 12, is Military Family Day at Hermann Stadium. Military families may purchase $8 tickets for $4 if they order in advance through the Billiken ticket office at (314) 977-4SLU or www.slubillikens.com.

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. All home games, and selected road matches including Friday's contest at Butler, will be available free of charge on GameTracker.

LAST WEEK - Sophomore Alli Reimer netted her second goal of the season in SLU's 2-1 loss at SMU last Friday. Sophomore goalkeeper Katie Walsh made a season-high six saves for the Billikens.

ABOUT THE BILLIKENS - Sophomore Alli Reimer leads Saint Louis with two goals, while sophomore Maggie Baumann has a goal and senior Ashley Brazill owns an assist. Sophomore Katie Walsh has three shutouts and carries a 0.61 goals against average and an .812 save percentage. The Billikens have posted three shutouts in their first four games for the third time in program history, joining the 2003 and 2008 teams.

STONEWALL DEFENSE - The Billikens have allowed just four goals, the third-lowest total through five games in the 15-year history of the program. Only the 2002 (two), 2003 (three) and 2008 (three) teams allowed fewer goals in their first five matches.

BILLS IN THE A-10 STATISTICAL RANKINGS - Saint Louis is tied for first in shutouts (three), second in goals against average (0.73) and fourth in corner kicks (4.20 per game) in this week's Atlantic 10 Conference statistical rankings. Individually, Katie Walsh is tied for first in shutouts (three), third in GAA (0.61) and sixth in save percentage (.812), while Alli Reimer is tied for 10th in shots per game (2.40).

A LOOK AT BUTLER - The Bulldogs return nine letterwinners, including four starters, from their 2009 squad that posted a 7-11-2 overall mark and placed fifth in the Horizon League with a 3-4-1 ledger. Butler snapped a four-game losing skid with a 5-2 win against Miami (Ohio) last Friday. Two of the Bulldogs' losses were 1-0 decisions at Atlantic 10 Conference opponents Dayton (2 OT) and Xavier. Sophomore forward Katie Griswold (3G), sophomore forward Rachael Melendez (2G, 1A) and freshman midfielder Jackie Hafele (2A) are Butler's offensive leaders. Griswold was named to the Horizon League All-Newcomer team a year ago. Junior Olivia Walter (2.12 GAA) and freshman Julie Burton (2.17 GAA) have shared goalkeeping duties. The Bulldogs also feature senior back Sarah Phelps, a 2009 second-team All-Conference selection. Fifth-year head coach Tari St. John is 34-46-6, all at Butler.

THE BUTLER SERIES - The Bulldogs won the only previous meeting between the teams, posting a 2-0 victory at Robert R. Hermann Stadium Sept. 12, 2008.

A LOOK AT LOUISVILLE - The Cardinals have 16 letterwinners, including nine starters, who return from last year's 5-11-1 team that placed seventh in the Big East Conference National Division (2-8-1). Louisville, whose No. 18 ranking by Soccer America represents a five-spot jump from last week, hosts Kentucky Thursday before coming to Hermann Stadium. The Cardinal offense is paced by redshirt freshman midfielder/forward Angelika Uremovich and freshman back/forward Christine Exeter, who have three goals apiece. Freshman midfielder Julie Casselman has found the back of the net twice, while senior forward Caitlin Rehder has a team-high three assists. Sophomore Taylor Vancil owns two shutouts, a 0.50 GAA and an .867 save percentage while playing every minute in goal. Head coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes carries an 11-year mark of 84-93-16, all at Louisville.

THE LOUISVILLE SERIES - The Billikens hold a 9-1 series advantage. Saint Louis won the first nine games, all of which were played while the Bills and Cardinals were Conference USA members. Louisville notched its first win in the series last season, a 2-0 triumph on its home field.

HU NAMED PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE - Sophomore back Allison Hu was selected to the Atlantic 10 Conference preseason All-Conference team by a vote of the league's head coaches. The Billikens were picked to place fourth in the A-10.

HEAD COACH Tim Champion - The only head coach in Saint Louis women's soccer history, Tim Champion is in his 18th season overall as a collegiate head coach and his 15th season at the Billiken helm. Champion owns a 168-90-32 record (.634) at SLU and an overall mark of 228-104-35 (.669). He has led his teams to three regular-season conference championships and two conference tournament titles. Champion became the first head coach to guide a SLU women's program to the NCAA Tournament when his 2005 Billikens made the first of two consecutive NCAA appearances. His .673 win percentage and 227 victories to begin the season rank 25th and 30th, respectively, among all coaches with at least 10 seasons as an NCAA Division I head coach. The win percentage is 28th in the nation and the victory total is 23rd among active coaches with at least five years as a Division I head coach. Joining Champion this season are assistant coaches Kelly Ferguson (fourth season) and Rob LaMear (sixth season).

HERMANN STADIUM - Billiken women's soccer is tough to beat on Robert R. Hermann Stadium's state-of-the-art natural grass. Since the facility re-opened in 1999, the Bills are 79-22-10 (.757) at home, including 45-7-6 (.828) in league play.

A LOOK AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK - Saint Louis plays its final two non-conference home games next weekend, hosting Missouri State Friday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m. and Loyola (Md.) Sunday, Sept. 19, at 1 p.m.

Saint Louis Billikens Women's Soccer