SLU WOMEN'S SOCCER GAME NOTES & INFORMATION
Game 18	Saint Louis (11-2-4, 7-0-2 A10) vs. Rhode Island (7-5-5, 5-2-2 A10)
Date // Time	Saturday, October 31, 2026 // 7 p.m.
Location	St. Louis, Mo. (Robert R. Hermann Stadium)
Watch	ESPN+
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Game Notes	Saint Louis | Rhode Island

Billiken Statistics
Billiken Schedule
Billiken Roster

A10 CHAMPION BILLIKENS HOST RHODE ISLAND SATURDAY IN REGULAR-SEASON FINALE
• With the Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season title in hand, the Saint Louis Billikens (11-2-4, 7-0-2 A10) look to maintain momentum heading into postseason play when they host the Rhode Island Rams (7-5-5, 5-2-2 A10) Saturday, Oct. 31, to conclude the regular season. Game time at Robert R. Hermann Stadium is 7 p.m.
• The game will be streamed on ESPN+, and live stats are available. See the links above.
• Nina Preusser and Camille Welker will be honored in a Senior Night ceremony prior to the game.
• SLU is securely in place as the A10 Championship No. 1 seed with hosting privileges throughout, but the Billikens must continue winning to have a chance to improve their resume should they qualify for the NCAA Championship.
• Conversely, Rhode Island's A10 Championship position has yet to be determined. Currently tied for third place, the Rams have assured themselves of a berth in the eight-team tournament but not a top-four finish that would give them a home quarterfinal. A victory Saturday night assures the Rams will host a quarterfinal; a tie or loss opens the door for a potential drop out of the top four.
• Saint Louis clinched the regular-season crown by winning 2-0 at Duquesne last Sunday. Rhode Island was 5-1-1 in conference play two weeks ago and on track for a potential showdown with the Billikens for the A10 title, but the Rams lost at George Mason and tied Richmond in their next two outings.
 
SERIES HISTORY
• Saint Louis leads Rhode Island 16-4 in a series that began in 2005. The Billikens are 10-1 vs. the Rams in St. Louis.
• The teams played twice last season. SLU won the regular-season meeting 4-1 in Kingston, and Rhode Island prevailed 4-2 in an A10 Championship semifinal at Hermann Stadium.
 
BILLIKENS CAPTURE EIGHTH A10 REGULAR-SEASON TITLE
• Saint Louis' 2026 regular-season championship is the program's eighth as an Atlantic 10 Conference member – seventh in the past nine seasons – and 10th overall.
• SLU claimed its first two titles as a member of Conference USA in 1999 and 2004. The Billikens finished atop the A10 in 2005, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024 prior to this season.
 
A10 CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
• As the No. 1 seed, Saint Louis will be an A10 Championship host institution as long as the Billikens continue to advance.
• SLU's quarterfinal match is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 7, at 5 p.m. A semifinal would be played Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m., and the final would be played Sunday, Nov. 15, at noon.
• The tournament champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. The NCAA Selection Show is Monday, Nov. 16, at 3 p.m. Central.
 
SAINT LOUIS IN THE NATIONAL PICTURE
• Through games of Oct. 29, SLU checked in at No. 40 in the NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), tops among A10 teams.
• Two of the Billikens' non-conference opponents are among the top 15 in the RPI – Alabama (No. 5) and Kansas (No. 14).
• SLU is rated No. 3 in the East Region by United Soccer Coaches.
 
BILLIKENS ON REMARKABLE A10 REGULAR-SEASON RUN
• Saint Louis is aiming for its eighth undefeated conference record since joining the Atlantic 10 Conference, and ninth overall.
• The 2000 Billikens finished 8-0-3 in Conference USA. The 2005 team was 8-0-0 in the program's first year in the A10.
• Beginning in 2018, SLU has been unbeaten six times – 10-0-0 in 2018, 9-0-1 in 2019, 8-0-0 in 2020, 10-0-0 in 2022, 9-0-1 in 2023 and 7-0-3 in 2024.
• Saint Louis is 75-4-8 (.908) in A10 regular-season play since 2018. Three of the losses occurred in one season (7-3 in 2021), and the 2025 team finished 8-1-1.
 
DEFENSE ON TRACK TO BE ONE OF PROGRAM'S BEST
• Saint Louis allowed just nine goals in its first 17 games. That ties for the third fewest scored by Billiken opponents in the first 17 games of a season in program history.
• SLU conceded only five goals in non-conference play, matching the 2022 Billikens for fewest goals allowed by a Saint Louis team in an eight-game non-conference schedule.
• The Billikens have yielded more than one goal just once this season, falling 2-1 to Alabama in the season opener.
 
TRADITION OF BALANCED SCORING CONTINUING
• Through 17 games of the 2026 season, the Billikens are featuring yet another balanced attack. Twenty-eight of SLU's 35 goals have been assisted; 27 different player combinations have accounted for those 28 goals.
• Twelve players have combined for the Bills' 35 goals, 16 have at least one assist and 17 have at least one point. Audrey Smith (nine goals, two assists, 20 points), Hope Kim (five goals, six assists, 16 points) and Lucie Schwartz (four goals, three assists, 11 points) lead the way; each player has a career high in all three categories. Ashley Miller and Caroline Fowlkes have five assists apiece (both career highs) to tie for second on the team.
 
BILLIKENS IN THE ATLANTIC 10, NCAA STATISTICAL RANKINGS
• Saint Louis leads the Atlantic 10 Conference in goals against average (0.53 – tied-12th nationally), goal differential (plus-26 – tied-12th nationally), win-loss-tie percentage (.765 – tied-22nd nationally) and shots on goal per game (7.53 – tied-30th nationally).
• The Billikens are second in the league in assists (36 – tied-22nd nationally), points (106 – tied-25th nationally), goals (35 – tied-33rd nationally), shutout percentage (.529, nine shutouts in 17 games – tied-38th nationally), and total shots per game (15.65). SLU is third in save percentage (.833 – tied-35th nationally) and corner kicks per game (5.88).
• Pepper Escher leads the A10 in goals against average (0.44 – 12th nationally) and ranks second in save percentage (.864 – 20th nationally) and shutouts (seven – tied-34th nationally).
• Audrey Smith is tied for second in the conference in goals (nine – tied-48th nationally) and ranks second in points (20).
• Hope Kim is tied for third in the league in assists (six), while Ashley Miller and Caroline Fowlkes are tied for sixth (five).
 
BILLS MAKE HERMANN STADIUM A SOCCER FORTRESS
• Saint Louis is 92-13-13 (.835) in its last 118 games on the home pitch of Robert R. Hermann Stadium, a stretch that dates to the final home game of the 2015 campaign.
• In those 118 games, SLU outscored opponents 273-52, posted 74 shutouts and allowed more than one goal just six times.
• Against A10 opponents during the 118-game stretch, Saint Louis is 63-3-5 (47-1-5 regular season, 16-2-0 A-10 tournament) at Hermann Stadium for a .923 winning percentage.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• Saint Louis scored an early goal in each half on its way to a 2-0 win at Duquesne Oct. 25.
• SLU scored the only goal it would need with less than a minute elapsed. Hope Kim received a pass from the Billikens' defensive third, dribbled down the right side into the box and sent a perfect cross to a charging Adee Broesder, whose easy touch from inside the six found the back of the net.
• In the 50th minute, the Bills turned a corner kick into their second goal. Caroline Fowlkes' service to the top of the six found Caroline Chier, who headed the ball diagonally to Audrey Smith. Smith tucked a sliding shot inside the near post.
• Pepper Escher made three saves.
 
HEAD COACH KATIE SHIELDS
• Now in her 14th season as Saint Louis' head coach, Katie Shields owns a 193-67-28 (.719) overall record (all at Saint Louis). Shields' .716 winning percentage at the beginning of the season ranked sixth among all active NCAA Division I women's soccer coaches, and second among active Division I female coaches, who have coached a minimum of five seasons at the Division I level.
 
SCOUTING RHODE ISLAND
• Rhode Island was picked to finish third in the A10 preseason coaches' poll.
• Rhode Island posted records of 13-5-3 overall and 5-3-2 (fourth place) in conference play a year ago. The Rams defeated VCU and Saint Louis to reach the A10 Championship final, where Dayton claimed the title in a penalty-kick shootout following a 0-0 draw.
• This season in conference play, the Rams have defeated George Washington, La Salle, Davidson, St. Bonaventure and Saint Joseph's; tied Loyola Chicago and Richmond; and lost to Duquesne and George Mason.
• Senior forward Megan Steinbach leads Rhode Island in goals (four) and points (11). Senior forward Lauren MacDonald, a 2025 second-team All-Conference selection, has nine points on three goals and three assists.
• Senior midfielder Courtney Poon has a team-high five assists.
• Senior Dani Eden (1.59 goals against average, .744 save percentage) has logged the bulk of the playing time between the posts. After allowing two goals in each of its first three A10 contests, Rhode Island has yielded just four total goals over its last six conference outings.