Billikens Aim For Third Straight Atlantic 10 Tournament Title
Nov. 6, 2007
On Tap: Saint Louis women's soccer, which finished the regular season with records of 10-5-2 overall and 7-2-2 in the Atlantic 10 Conference, begins its quest for a third consecutive A-10 Tournament crown and automatic NCAA Tournament bid on Thursday, Nov. 8, at Transamerica Field in Charlotte. The fourth-seeded Billikens will take on fifth-seeded Dayton in a first-round clash at 7 p.m. (CT) on Thursday. A SLU victory would put the Billikens in Friday's semifinals against either Charlotte or Fordham. If Charlotte is the opponent, the game would begin at 4:30 p.m. (CT). If Fordham is the opponent, game time would be 7 p.m. The championship game, which will determine the A-10 representative in the NCAA Tournament, is set for Sunday at noon (CT). Charlotte Heads Six-Team Field: Regular-season champion and No. 1 seed Charlotte received a first-round bye along with No. 2 Fordham. Duquesne is the No. 3 seed and will play No. 6 Richmond in the other first-round game on Thursday. Should Saint Louis defeat Dayton in the first round, the Billikens will take on Charlotte in the semifinals if Duquesne beats Richmond. If Richmond eliminates Duquesne, the Bills' semifinal foe would be Fordham. Billikens 1-1-1 Against Tourney Teams: Saint Louis and Dayton tied 1-1 in their regular-season meeting in Dayton. The Billikens defeated Richmond 2-0 and fell to Charlotte 1-0 in St. Louis, while Fordham and Duquesne were not on the SLU schedule this season. Last Week: Saint Louis hosted Charlotte in the regular-season finale on Saturday, Nov. 3, and fell to the 49ers 1-0. Billiken goalkeeper Hannah Koesterer kept her team in the game by making five saves, but SLU managed only three shots against a Charlotte defense that came in leading the A-10 in goals-against average. The Dayton Series: SLU leads the series with Dayton 2-0-1. The Billikens edged the Flyers 1-0 in the first round of the 2005 A-10 Tournament and captured a 2-0 regular-season decision last year, both at Dayton. The teams played to a 1-1 draw in Dayton earlier this season.
Going For the Hat Trick: Saint Louis, which is in only its third season as a member of the Atlantic 10, is vying to become only the second team to collect three consecutive A-10 Tournament titles. Massachusetts accomplished the feat from 1993-95. The Billikens toppled Dayton 1-0 and Rhode Island 1-0 in tournament action two years ago, then repeated as tourney champion by defeating Rhode Island 1-0 and Fordham 2-1 last season. Nothing Settled in First Meeting: The Billikens struck early against Dayton when the teams met during the regular season on Oct. 19, but the Flyers tallied the equalizer later in the first half and that's where the scoring ended. Cassi Winchell gave SLU a 1-0 edge with an unassisted goal just 1:17 into the proceedings, but Dayton's Colleen Gibson erased the Billiken lead with an unassisted goal at the 32:14 mark. Both goalkeepers were busy, as SLU's Hannah Koesterer made nine saves and Dayton's Niki Reed stopped seven Saint Louis shots on goal. The Flyers earned the advantage in shots (23-17) and corner kicks (8-5). Scouting the Flyers: Five-time A-10 Tournament champion Dayton is 12-4-3 overall and finished league play with a 6-2-3 ledger. The Flyers are 1-1-3 in their last five outings. Dayton leads the A-10 in shots (18.89 pg), is tied for second in shutouts (eight) and ranks third in goals per game (2.0) and goals-against average (0.83). Sophomore forward/midfielder Mandi Back is tops in the league in game-winning goals (five) and shots (91) and ranks second in goals (14) and points (30). Senior goalkeeper Niki Reed is third in GAA (0.81). Head coach Mike Tucker owns a 184-73-14 record (.705) in 13 seasons at Dayton. A Coaching Champion: In his 12th season at the helm of the women's soccer program, head coach Tim Champion has built a tradition of success as the only coach the Billikens have known. Champion has led his teams to three conference regular-season championships and two conference tournament titles. He became the first head coach of a SLU women's team to reach the NCAA Tournament. At Saint Louis, Champion has compiled a 148-70-22 (.663) record while extending his 14-year career mark to 208-84-25 (.696). Champion's career winning percentage ranks 19th all-time among coaches with at least 10 years as an NCAA Division I head coach. The number is 21st in the nation among active coaches with at least five years at the Division I level. Hermann Stadium: The women's soccer program has proven difficult to overcome on Robert R. Hermann Stadium's state-of-the-art natural grass. Since the facility re-opened in 1999, the Billikens have posted a 69-17-3 (.792) record at home, including a 39-6-2 (.851) mark in conference play. SLU was undefeated in the 2006 regular season at home, yielding just one tie to then-nationally ranked Marquette before falling to Illinois in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Billikens played a stretch of 18 games without a home loss, beginning Sept. 16, 2005, and running through an NCAA Tournament first-round win over Drake on Nov. 10, 2006. Climbing the Charts: Senior forward Cassi Winchell is inching her way up the record book in several categories. Her 28 career goals are tied for second all-time (with Trisha Underberg) in school history. In addition, she ranks fifth with 70 career points and is within sight of Underberg and Jenny Kehl (78 each) for third place in that category. Winchell also is tied for ninth with 14 career assists. Sophomore goalkeeper Hannah Koesterer has taken over the third-place spot in all-time wins with 19. Koesterer is tied for third in career shutouts (10) and is fourth in career saves (100) and minutes (2,812). Doubling Up Again: The Billikens' 2-0 triumph over UMass, was their 10th win of the year, giving Saint Louis a double-figure victory total for the 10th time in the 12-season history of the program. All's Well That Ends Well: Junior back Katie Allgaier (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) has played in three games this season ... played 11 minutes in a reserve role against Charlotte. Bo Knows: Sophomore midfielder Lauren Bozesky (St. Louis, Mo./Ursuline) has played in 16 games, starting eight ... played 21 minutes off the bench against Charlotte. Julia Guglia: Sophomore forward Julia Bradenberg (St. Louis, Mo./Ursuline) has played in 14 games with 12 starts ... played 75 minutes in a starting role against Charlotte ... stands third on the team in goals (three) and points (eight). Soothing Brazz: Freshman midfielder Ashley Brazill (St. Charles, Mo./Incarnate Word) has seen time in 17 games and has started twice this season ... tallied a shot and played 42 minutes in a reserve role against Charlotte. CB Radio: Freshman forward Christina Brown (St. Charles, Mo./Duchesne) has started six of her 17 games played this season ... played 36 minutes in a reserve role against Charlotte. Heather Grey: Senior midfielder Heather Crawford (Chicago, Ill./St. Viator) started her second game of the season against Charlotte and played 18 minutes. Fair's Fair: Sophomore forward Maggie Farrell (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph's) has appeared off the bench in all 17 games this season ... saw 47 minutes of action against Charlotte. Sly Fox: Senior back Liz Fox (St. Louis, Mo./Cor Jesu) started against Charlotte on defense, giving her 12 starts in her 15 outings this year ... played all 90 minutes against Charlotte. Fast Freddy: Sophomore back Susan Frederickson (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph's) has played in all 17 games and is tied for the team lead with 14 starts ... had two shots, including one on goal, in 80 minutes against Charlotte. That's a Winner: Freshman back Kristyn Gawin (Madison, Wis./Middleton) has appeared in 13 matches with three starts this season ... did not play against Charlotte. It Ain't Easy Bein' Green: Senior midfielder/back Mary Green (Webster Groves, Mo./Nerinx Hall) is tied for fourth on the team with two goals ... has played in all 17 games with 14 starts ... played 75 minutes as a starter against Charlotte. Good Golly: Junior back Molly Hartmann (Jackson, Mo./Jackson) has played in 12 matches with four starts this season ... started and played 39 minutes against Charlotte. Ashes to Ashes: Sophomore midfielder Ashley Hayes (St. Louis, Mo./Incarnate Word) has started in three of her 11 games this season ... played 12 minutes off the bench against Charlotte. Hannah Montana: Sophomore keeper Hannah Koesterer (Overland Park, Kan./St. Thomas Aquinas) has established herself as the Billikens' No. 1 goalkeeper ... started and went the distance against Charlotte, making five saves. On the AM Dial: Freshman midfielder Alyssa Mautz (O'Fallon, Mo./Ft. Zumwalt West) is tied for the team lead in goals (five) and is second in points (11) ... has played in all 17 games with 13 starts ... came off the bench and played 45 minutes against Charlotte. Hi and Lo: Junior back Lauren Olson (Plano, Texas/Ursuline) has played in all 17 games and is tied for the team lead with 14 starts ... played all 90 minutes against Charlotte. My Pal Sal: Sophomore back Sally Sinclair (St. Louis, Mo./Cor Jesu) has started in four of her 11 games this season ... came off the bench for 40 minutes of action against Charlotte. Mrs. Smith: Sophomore back Jacqui Smith (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph's) made another start against Charlotte, giving her four this season ... played 79 minutes in the Charlotte contest. Kelly Green: Sophomore midfielder Kelly Waeckerle (St. Louis, Mo./Parkway West) has played in all 17 games and has started 12 this season ... drew the starting nod against Charlotte and played 44 minutes ... fourth on the team with six points (2G, 2A). Winning Ways: Senior forward Cassi Winchell (St. Louis, Mo./Howell Central) leads the team in points (12) and is tied for the team lead in goals (five) ... has started 12 of her 14 games this year, including the Charlotte game in which she played 57 minutes. |
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