SLU WOMEN'S SOCCER GAME NOTES & INFORMATION
Game 9	Saint Louis (4-2-2) vs. VCU (0-5-3)
Date // Time	Saturday, September 19, 2026 // 11 a.m.
Location	St. Louis, Mo. (Robert R. Hermann Stadium)
Watch	ESPN+
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Game Notes	Saint Louis | VCU

Billiken Statistics
Billiken Schedule
Billiken Roster

A10 WOMEN'S SOCCER RACE BEGINS SATURDAY AS BILLIKENS HOST VCU
• The Saint Louis Billikens (4-2-2) begin Atlantic 10 Conference action and conclude the first half of the regular season Saturday, Sept. 19, vs. the VCU Rams (0-5-3). Kickoff at Robert R. Hermann Stadium is scheduled for 11 a.m. (changed from 1 p.m. due to a forecast of extreme heat and humidity).
• Saturday's game has been designated as the Billiken Blue Out. Fans are encouraged to wear blue.
• SLU received votes in this week's United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll. The Billikens are ranked No. 1 in the East Region.
• Saint Louis received three first-place votes and was picked to finish second in the league in the A10 preseason coaches' poll. VCU, which garnered one first-place nod, landed in seventh.
• The Billikens wrapped up their non-conference schedule with a 1-0 loss to Kansas last Saturday at Hermann Stadium, snapping a six-game unbeaten streak.
• After beginning the season 0-4, VCU has earned three draws in its last four games including a 2-2 stalemate at East Carolina Sept. 10 in its most recent outing.
 
SERIES HISTORY
• A five-game series winning streak has given Saint Louis a 9-3-1 advantage over VCU.
• The Billikens are 4-1 vs. the Rams at Hermann Stadium.
• Last year in Richmond, Va., SLU grabbed a 2-1 victory as Lucie Schwartz converted a penalty kick in the 16th minute and Adee Broesder (Caroline Chier assist) scored in the 40th minute. VCU cut the margin in half in the 44th minute, but the Billikens shut the door after intermission.
• The Bills outshot the Rams 18-5 overall and 7-3 in shots on goal.
 
BILLS MAKE HERMANN STADIUM A SOCCER FORTRESS
• Saint Louis is 88-13-13 (.829) in its last 114 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 114 games, SLU outscored opponents 259-50, posted 72 shutouts and allowed more than one goal just six times.
• Against A10 opponents during the 114-game stretch, Saint Louis is 59-3-5 (43-1-5 regular season, 16-2-0 A-10 tournament) at Hermann Stadium.
 
TRADITION OF BALANCED SCORING CONTINUING
• The 2026 season is just eight games old, but the Billikens already are showing signs of yet another balanced attack. Thirteen of SLU's 15 goals have been assisted, and all 13 have featured a different player combination.
• Seven players have combined for the Bills' 15 goals, 12 have at least one assist and 15 have at least one point. Audrey Smith leads with six goals and 13 points (both career highs), and Hope Kim has a team-high three assists.
 
BILLIKENS IN THE ATLANTIC 10, NCAA STATISTICAL RANKINGS
• Saint Louis leads the Atlantic 10 Conference in goal differential (plus-10).
• The Billikens are second in the league in win-loss-tie percentage (.625), assists (18 – 35th nationally) and goals against average (0.63 – 41st nationally).
• SLU ranks third in the A10 in goals (15) and points (48). The Bills are fourth in shutout percentage (.500, four shutouts in eight games) and corner kicks per game (6.00).
• Audrey Smith leads the A10 with six goals and 13 points, tying for 26th and tying for 50th, respectively, in the nation. Smith's two game-winning goals are tied for first in the conference and tied for 33rd nationally.
• Pepper Escher is tied for second in the league and tied for 15th nationally in save percentage (.889). Escher ranks second in the A10 and is tied for 23rd in the nation in goals against average (0.44).
• Hope Kim is tied for third in the A10 in assists (three).
 
SAINT LOUIS CELEBRATING 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF WOMEN'S SOCCER PROGRAM'S INCEPTION
• The 2026 season marks the 30th anniversary of the beginning of Billiken women's soccer.
• SLU's Saturday, Oct. 17, game vs. Richmond will include a 30th anniversary celebration, coupled with the return of Billiken women's soccer alumni.
• Also, SLUBillikens.com is featuring once-a-week stories highlighting the program's 11 members of the Billiken Hall of Fame. Click here to read the series' sixth installment featuring midfield great Kelly Ferguson.
• The Billikens played their first game on Aug. 31, 1996, defeating Central Missouri 9-0.
 
BILLIKENS LAND IN SECOND PLACE IN A-10 PRESEASON POLL
• Saint Louis was picked to finish second in the 2026 Atlantic 10 Conference women's soccer race in preseason balloting by A-10 head coaches. The Billikens received three of 14 first-place votes and totaled 182 of a possible 196 points.
• Graduate defender Camille Welker and sophomore defender Blakely Hockett were selected to the 11-member preseason All-Conference team.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• Pepper Escher made a career-high eight saves, including a diving stop on a Kansas penalty kick, but the Jayhawks scored in the 86th minute and held on for a 1-0 win over Saint Louis Sept. 12.
• Kansas scored at the 85:05 mark following a scramble in the penalty area. Moments later, the Jayhawks were awarded a penalty kick resulting from a Saint Louis handball in the box, but Escher's save kept the Billikens in the game.
 
HEAD COACH KATIE SHIELDS
• Now in her 14th season as Saint Louis' head coach, Katie Shields owns a 186-67-26 (.713) 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 VCU
• VCU was 7-10-3 overall and 5-4-1 in conference play (tied for fifth) in 2025. The Rams fell to Rhode Island in the A10 Championship quarterfinals.
• The Rams returned their top two scorers from last season in sophomore forward Isabelle Franklin (3G, 6A) and redshirt-senior forward Jensyn Lins (3G, 5A).
• VCU struggled to score in non-conference play, netting just seven goals in eight games. Freshmen forwards Monique McEnhimer and Alexis Cox lead with two goals and two assists, respectively.
• Redshirt-junior goalkeeper Cameryn Nunn has a 2.47 goals against average and a .653 save percentage.