Nov. 17, 2005

St. Louis - The NCAA Tournament committee passed on regular-season Atlantic 10 Conference champion Saint Louis (9-5-5 overall, 6-1-2 A-10) for an at-large berth in the 2005 College Cup, thus ending the Billikens' season.

Looking Ahead: Saint Louis hosts the 2006 College Cup at Robert R. Hermann Stadium.

Last Week: Top-seed Saint Louis dropped the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament title match on penalty kicks 5-3 to No. 3 seed Rhode Island on Sun., Nov. 13, at Robert R. Hermann Stadium. The Billikens and Rams played to a 2-2 overtime draw before URI won the shootout. In the semifinals on Fri., Nov. 11, the Bills used the shootout to their advantage by eliminating fourth-seeded Dayton 5-4 in kicks after SLU and the Flyers played to a 1-1 overtime draw.

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 58-11-8 (.805) in seven seasons at Hermann Stadium, but six of those losses have occurred in the last 20 games. The Bills played at the on-campus facility from 1990-94 and have compiled a 100-16-9 (.836) home record with a 10-1-1 (.875) mark in the NCAA Tournament.

Dan's Day: Dan Donigan completed his fifth year as head coach with a career record of 65-23-11 (.712). He was the 2003 NSCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year. He finished 18-2-0 in his debut, which was the best record posted by a Billikens first-year head coach and was C-USA's 2001 Coach of the Year. His 10-0-0 start was the best by a first-year coach in the Billikens' storied history. 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.

Streaking: The Billikens' six-game winning streak, which was snapped at George Washington, was their best since opening the 2003 season by winning their first six games. SLU finished the season on a six-game unbeaten string that included five ties.

Wiley Veteran: Senior midfielder Ryan Wileman (Grand Prairie, Texas / Grand Prairie) was named first-team All-Conference and to the A-10 All-Tournament Team ... was the Bills' second-leading scorer with 18 points (8G, 2A) and tied for the team lead with two game-winners ... scored the game-tying goal against URI in the A-10 final ... netted the game-clinching PK against Dayton in the A-10 semifinal.

It's Winning Time: Senior back/midfielder Danny Wynn (St. Louis, Mo. / Chaminade) was named first-team All-Conference ... was fifth on the Billikens in scoring with a career-high 10 points (2G, 6A) ... his two goals were also a career high.

Following Moses: Senior midfielder Andrew Moses (St. Louis, Mo. / Chaminade) appeared in each of the last eight matches, starting seven.

To the Rescue: After David Greathouse was injured against Lindenwood, senior keeper Jeff Sackman (St. Louis, Mo. / St. Mary's) returned to the team as a grad student to back up Pat Disbennett, but started 18 regular-season games with a 1.27 GAA after Disbennett also went down with an injury ... was named honorable mention All-Conference and selected for the A-10 All-Academic Team ... set career highs with nine wins and 70 saves ... made the key save on Dayton's Terry Alvino in the A-10 semifinal shootout.

D-Rays: Junior midfielder John DiRaimondo (St. Louis, Mo. / Edison Academic Center, Bradenton, Fla.) was named A-10 Offensive Player of the Year, first-team All-Conference and to the A-10 All-Academic Team ... was on the Hermann Trophy Watch List ... was the A-10's third-leading scorer with a career-high 28 points (9G, 10A) ... had a career-high nine goals ... tallied the Bills' first goal against URI ... connected on his shootout PK in the A-10 semifinal.

Grazin': Junior midfielder Brian Grazier (Edwardsville, Ill. / Edison Academic Center, Bradenton, Fla.) has taken a redshirt season while rehabilitating a broken ankle.

Matte Finish: Junior midfielder Alex Matteson (Chesterfield, Mo. / Chaminade) was named to the A-10 All-Tournament Team ... was one of six Bills with at least three goals and finished with six points.

Time and Spiess: Junior midfielder/back Casey Spiess (Florissant, Mo. / DeSmet) had five starts to his credit while appearing in 18 matches ... played a strong 80 minutes off the bench against Dayton in the A-10 semifinal.

Takes No Guff: Junior defender Dan Guffey (St. Peters, Mo. / Howell North) had a career-high two points (0G, 2A) ... started four straight matches to end the season.

Mo Defense: Junior defender Mo Benne (Ellisville, Mo. / Chaminade) had a career-high two points with a pair of assists ... was one of four Bills to start every match.

St. Patrick: Senior midfielder Patrick Garcia (Dallas, Texas / Naaman Forest) made seven appearances in his final season.

The Time is Now: Junior defender Jason Vilmer (St. Louis, Mo. / St. Mary's) was in the first 11 in four straight matches before coming off the bench at Richmond, but did not see time in the A-10 Tournament.

Parking Zone: Junior forward Eddie Parker (St. Louis, Mo. / Lutheran South) saw time in five games in the second half of the regular season after missing the first eight regular-season matches with a leg injury.

Our House: Junior goalkeeper David Greathouse (St. Louis, Mo. / Whitfield) was injured in a first-half collision in the Lindenwood exhibition match and did not play the remainder of the year.

Brand Name: Sophomore defender Brandon Gasparovic (St. Louis, Mo. / CBC) saw his playing time vary depending upon the Bills' defensive formation ... came on in the late stages against URI in the A-10 Tournament final.

Standing Pat: Sophomore goalkeeper Pat Disbennett (St. Louis, Mo. / Webster Groves) was limited by a foot injury and played only 207 minutes.

Luck of the Irish: Sophomore forward/midfielder Patrick Garcia goal.

Take Your Prize: Sophomore midfielder/back Zack Przybeck (St. Louis, Mo. / Ladue) made his ninth appearance at Richmond.

Weekly Reeder: Sophomore midfielder Andrew Reeder (Burlington, N.J. / Pennington School) finished his second season with four points (2G, 0A) ... had a pair of dangerous shots late in the A-10 Tournament final.

It's Magic: Freshman midfielder Ryan Wileman game-tying goal against URI in the A-10 Tournament final.

From Across the Pond: Freshman forward Kyle Patterson (Birmingham, England) was named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team ... was fourth on the Bills' scoring list with 12 points (4G, 4A) ... connected on his shootout PK against Dayton in the A-10 semifinal.

British Invasion: Freshman defender Calum Angus (Portsmouth, England) was named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team and honorable mention All-Conference ... was the Billikens' nominee for A-10 Defensive Player of the Year ... got the Bills' only goal against Dayton in the A-10 semifinal and then connected on his PK in the shootout.

That's Sweet: Freshman midfielder Eric Sweetin (Overland Park, Kan. / Kansas City Rockhurst) was named A-10 Rookie of the Year and second-team All-Conference ... selected to the A-10 All-Tournament Team ... was one of only four Billikens to have started every match.

Frosh Flash: Freshman forward Larry Geraghty (Cranford, N.J. / St. Benedict's Prep) started five games, while appearing in 18 matches and finished with nine points (4G, 1A).

Chillin' with Chad: Freshman midfielder Chad Hagerty (Louisville, Ky. / St. Xavier) made four starts in 17 appearances.

Mach Speed: Freshman forward Matt Mach (St. Louis, Mo. / MICDS) made his sixth appearance against Saint Joseph's.

Transfer Time: Coastal Carolina transfer Yann Estaque made his Billiken debut against Saint Joseph's.

Donigan's Data: "I thought this team deserved a shot in the NCAA Tournament, but it wasn't to be. We had some good results along the way, played a tough schedule, were 5-1-4 in our last 10 games, won our regular-season league title and dropped the championship match on kicks. This team had some hurdles to clear through this season with some young players in key spots, and I thought they handled it pretty well, all things considered. We have a core of talented players returning combined with an incoming class that is talented, so we expect to be right back in the hunt next year."