MSOC Preview: Billikens vs. Denver
Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019 | 7 p.m. | St. Louis, Mo. (Hermann Stadium)
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ABOUT TUESDAY'S MATCH
-- Saint Louis looks to extend its five-game winning streak when it hosts Denver at Hermann Stadium on Tuesday. Game time is 7 p.m.
ABOUT THE BILLIKENS
-- Saint Louis has won five in a row and eight of its last nine and enters Tuesday's game 8-3-0 overall.
-- The Billikens are in first place in the Atlantic 10 Conference with a 5-0 record. League play resumes this weekend when SLU hosts Dayton at Hermann Stadium Saturday in a 7 p.m. kickoff.
-- The Billikens have registered three consecutive shutouts. In fact, SLU has yet to allow a goal in its five conference games.
-- SLU is ranked No. 21 in the latest NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).
-- SLU is coming off a 2-0 victory at La Salle on Oct. 12. Senior midfielder Devin Boyce scored the game-winning goal, and freshman keeper Patrick Schulte made four saves for the shutout.
-- Senior forward Leo Novaes leads the Billikens in scoring with 17 points (6G, 5A). He has recorded at least one point in six straight games and eight of the last nine games. Senior midfielder Devin Boyce follows with 11 points (4G, 3A).
-- Sophomore forward Simon Becher, junior defender Ben Huels and senior midfielder David Viox have two goals apiece.
-- Freshman goalkeeper Patrick Schulte sports a 0.88 goals against average and six shutouts.
-- Two of the Billikens' losses came against teams ranked in the top 25 – SMU and Notre Dame. The Billikens play current No. 1-ranked Virginia a week from tonight in Charlottesville.
-- The Billikens were predicted by Atlantic 10 Conference head men's soccer coaches to finish second in the league race in the annual A-10 preseason poll. SLU received two first-place votes.
-- Earning spots on the A-10 preseason All-Conference team were sophomore Simon Becher, sophomore John Klein and senior Quayyum Murana.
BILLIKENS HONORED
-- Freshman goalkeeper Patrick Schulte was named A-10 Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. He did not allow a goal in SLU wins against George Mason and La Salle.
-- CollegeSoccerNews.com recognized freshman defender Kipp Keller on its National Team of the Week Sept. 15 after he scored the dramatic double-overtime goal in the win against SIUE.
-- TopDrawerSoccer.com named junior defender Patrick Wilkinson to its Men's Team of the Week Sept. 23 after he helped anchor a Billiken defense that registered shutouts against Tulsa and Davidson.
KALISH IN SECOND YEAR AS BILLIKENS' HEAD COACH
-- Kevin Kalish, a Saint Louis University alumnus and Billiken All-American, is in his second season on the Billikens' sideline.
-- The seventh head coach in the storied history of the SLU men's soccer program, Kalish previously served as Vice President and Missouri Boys Club Director for St. Louis Scott Gallagher. He also was head coach at SIU Edwardsville for six seasons (2008-13).
-- Kalish has an eight-year head coaching career record of 63-53-21. He is 14-7-7 in two years at SLU.
2019 A-10 CHAMPIONSHIP
-- The 2019 Atlantic 10 Conference Men's Soccer Championship will feature the league's top eight teams at the end of the regular season.
-- The A-10 quarterfinals will be held Nov. 9-10 on campus sites, with the top four seeds hosting. If the Billikens host a quarterfinal match, it will be played on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 2 p.m. at Hermann Stadium.
-- Fordham University will serve as the host of the A-10 semifinals on Friday, Nov. 15, and the A-10 final on Sunday, Nov. 17. The games will be played at Jack Coffey Field in the Bronx, N.Y.
SCOUTING DENVER
-- Denver won the Summit League a season ago and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship.
-- The Pioneers enter Tuesday's game against SLU with a 2-7-2 overall record. They are coming off a 4-3 loss at Western Illinois on Saturday afternoon.
-- Josh Drack leads Denver with nine points (3G, 3A), while Preston Judd contributes seven points (3G, 1A). Will Palmquist has played every minute in goal.
-- Head coach Jamie Franks, who led the Pioneers to a College Cup appearance in 2016, is in his fifth season at Denver.
