This year marks the 30th anniversary of Saint Louis University's inaugural women's soccer season. As part of the recognition of this milestone, SLUBillikens.com is highlighting the program's 11 (eight individuals and three teams) Billiken Hall of Fame inductees.
 
This week's featured Hall of Famer is defender Alli Klug, a 2026 inductee and two-time All-American who was a driving force in the ascension of SLU women's soccer to Atlantic 10 Conference dominance and the Billikens' return to the national stage.
 
Prior to the 2016 season, Saint Louis women's soccer had endured seven consecutive sub-.500 records. Head coach Katie Shields, who had presided over the three most recent of those campaigns, was seeking players with not only the talent but also the intangibles to establish a culture that would help chart a new course for the program.
 
Alli Klug was one such player.
 
Indeed, Klug's rookie season saw Saint Louis strengthen the foundation for the tremendous success that lay ahead. She played in every game and started six for a Billiken team that posted a 14-4-2 overall record and rose to second in the Atlantic 10 Conference with a 7-1-2 mark; SLU increased its overall victory total by six and its league win total by five over the previous year. Klug was part of a defensive unit that finished a solid 39th in the nation in goals against average (0.82) and registered nine shutouts, two more than the previous two years combined.
 
The 2017 season saw Klug establish herself as one of the nation's top defenders as the Billikens continued to refine a winning identity. She garnered a United Soccer Coaches third-team All-America nod and earned first-team All-Region, A-10 Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-Conference honors. SLU assembled a 15-3-2 record and again knocked on the door of an A-10 regular-season championship, placing second at 7-2-1. The Bills ranked 10th nationally in GAA (0.49) and tied for 10th in shutouts (13, equaling the school record).
 
Then came the breakthrough season of 2018. Saint Louis collected a then-school-record 18 wins (18-4-1), bulldozed through the A-10 undefeated and untied while allowing only three goals, and captured the first of seven consecutive A-10 Championship titles to earn the first of seven straight NCAA Championship appearances. Klug led the Billikens to a ninth-place tie in shutouts (13) and 18th in GAA (0.60) in the national rankings and was rewarded with second-team All-America plaudits to become the first two-time All-American in Saint Louis women's soccer history. She repeated on the All-Region and All-Conference first teams and as A-10 Defensive Player of the Year.
 
When Klug's senior season concluded in 2019, she was a member of what was then the winningest class (64 victories) in SLU women's soccer history and was co-owner of the program mark of 86 games played, which still ranks fourth among those who played four seasons at Saint Louis. The Billikens forged a 17-4-2 overall record and again went undefeated (9-0-1) in conference play while successfully defending the A-10 regular-season crown. Continuing to boast one of the nation's stingiest defenses, SLU tied for eighth in shutouts (13) and finished 10th in GAA (0.55) in NCAA Division I.
 
Postseason accolades for Klug were plentiful once more as she became the first player in program history to be selected three times to the United Soccer Coaches All-Region first team and the first (and still only) player in A-10 women's soccer annals to win a major postseason award (Defensive Player of the Year) three times. She was a first-team All-Conference choice for a third time and picked up a second consecutive All-Tournament honor while helping Saint Louis claim another A-10 Championship title and NCAA Championship berth.
 
Klug also was in the spotlight off the field during her final year. She was a top-10 national finalist for the women's soccer Senior CLASS Award, an NCAA Woman of the Year nominee and an A-10 All-Academic choice.
 
Klug was named to SLU's 25th Anniversary Team in 2021 and was inducted into the Billiken Hall of Fame in 2026.