Nov. 23, 2007

Recap |  Box Score

Saint Louis senior midfielder Brian Grazier
On not advancing due to PKs..."PKs are never a good outcome. The ball just didn't go our way tonight."

On play in the second half..."In the second half we played a lot better. We strung some passes together, created some opportunities, we just couldn't finish."

On ending career on this note..."It's never good to go out on PKs, but my time here was good so I can't complain at all. Our squad is young, so it was a good experience for them to lead up to the years coming."

Billiken head coach Dan Donigan
"I credit UIC, they are a very good soccer team. They have some special players in the midfield, and they work incredibly hard. I think they are very well coached. I really liked their team, and I think they have the ability to go deep into this tournament. This outcome wasn't the result of us not doing something, or them not doing something, it comes down to PKs so it's really anybody's game. You go down from being down two penalty kicks, to possibly winning it on the next kick, then boom, it's over. It is a very unfortunate way to end the season. But if you just look at the game itself, I thought it was two very good teams playing a very competitive soccer game. It was a great NCAA Tournament soccer game for the people that were here."

On second half effort..."I told my guys after the game that there is nothing more I could have asked of them. They did everything we asked of them from a tactical, effort and energy standpoint. But it was just not meant to be for whatever reason. There was a chance here or there that maybe we could have scored. I feel bad for my seniors, guys like Grazier and Gaspo, who end on that kind of note. But at the same time I am pretty confident that those guys will move on to the next level and enjoy some more soccer."

On not winning an NCAA Tournament game in four years..."Obviously we want to win, but at the same time it is about longevity. It's about playing good soccer. It's about getting quality student-athletes into your school. It's about representing the institution and the program in a first-class way. We definitely do that, and I don't think anyone is going to question whether we are a nationally prominent program because we haven't won an NCAA Tournament game in four years. I'm very proud at how we played tonight, how the kids handle themselves on and off the field, how they handle themselves in the classroom. To me, that is why I was hired at Saint Louis U. Obviously, I want to win a national championship, but we are not going to cut corners. Tonight, I'm just proud of my guys and proud of my team."

Illinois-Chicago keeper Jovan Bubanja
If he was feeling confident heading into PKs..."As best as you can on any given day, it was just another shootout. We had three of them last year, this was our first one this year. The whole team came up big. The guys stepped up. We scored some, we missed some, and we scored the most important one. We came out as winners, and that is the most important thing."

On winning a big game..."It was like that in the conference tournament, and the NCAAs are going to be like that. There are no easy games at this point in time. We are moving on to the next round, and Northwestern is waiting for us. The games just get bigger and bigger."

Illinois-Chicago head coach John Trask
Opening Statement..."Compliments to Dan Donigan, and all the people here at Saint Louis University. It's a tremendous program, there is a reason why they have been in so many final fours and national championships. It was a great night of college soccer, two teams that wanted to play. Neither team was sitting in. I thought that even thought it was a 0-0 game, it could have been 3-2 very easily. Compliments to them and their staff, and compliments to my guys who found a way to win the game."

On playing close games recently..."We have a tremendous back four, and obviously Jovan Bubonja was a pre-season All-American, and he is as talented as there is in this country. Usually, we think if we are able to keep things tight, we are able to snip a goal in big games. We weren't able to do that tonight, that is a compliment to Saint Louis. We had some good looks, they didn't come good for us in regulation or overtime. Finally, in the penalty kicks we put enough away to win."

On play of Cesar Zambrano..."Both of Saint Louis' central midfielders, Grazier and Sweetin, are either up for the Hermann (Trophy) or their names are always dropped in terms of them being All-Americans. If Zambrano is not an All-American, I don't know what is. He is so dominant in the air, physically, and he has a great touch on the ball. He is just a fine soccer player."

On shootout going into sudden death..."The funny thing is someone in the crowd told me that Spiess would be the difference. Jovan picked who was shooting. Spiess was supposed to shoot fifth, but got pushed off because of seniority. There is a guy in the crowd, who said to me when he saw Spiess run up there, he said, `That kid will never miss, that's Matt Spiess.' He scored a bunch of goals for Chaminade High here. That is the kind of player Matt Spiess is, he thrives in pressure. When I saw the eighth penalty kick missed by Saint Louis, then saw Spiess take off, I thought here it is. This is the story. You rarely see a penalty kick taken more confidently in that situation than Matt did. That is how he is."