SLU WOMEN'S SOCCER GAME NOTES & INFORMATION
Game 11	Saint Louis (5-2-3, 1-0-1 A10) vs. George Mason (5-2-3, 1-0-1 A10)
Date // Time	Sunday, September 27, 2026 // 1 p.m.
Location	St. Louis, Mo. (Robert R. Hermann Stadium)
Watch	ESPN+
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Game Notes	Saint Louis | George Mason

Billiken Statistics
Billiken Schedule
Billiken Roster

BILLIKENS, PATRIOTS LOOK TO STAY ATOP A10 STANDINGS
• Two teams seeking an early edge in the Atlantic 10 Conference standings meet Sunday, Sept. 27, as the Saint Louis Billikens (5-2-3, 1-0-1) host the George Mason Patriots (5-2-3, 1-0-1). Game time at Robert R. Hermann Stadium is 1 p.m.
• The game will be streamed on ESPN+, and live stats are available. See the links above.      
• While Saint Louis was expected to be a major contender for the conference title with a second-place prediction in the A10 coaches' preseason poll, George Mason landed in ninth place in the prognostication. The Billikens and Patriots are among six teams tied for the early league lead with four points.
• SLU is coming off a 0-0 draw at A10 preseason favorite Dayton Thursday night. Also on Thursday, George Mason matched its season scoring high in a 4-2 victory over Fordham. The Patriots earned a 1-1 tie at Saint Joseph's in their A10 opener.
• In addition to having the same overall and conference records, Saint Louis and George Mason have scored a league-high 22 goals apiece. The teams' shot totals are very close as well; in total shots, SLU is plus-65 (139-74) to Mason's plus-55 (131-76), while in shots on goal, the Bills are plus-35 (67-32) to the Patriots' plus-36 (74-38).
• Sunday's game matches the A10's top two scorers. SLU's Audrey Smith and Mason's Mia Casciani have seven goals and 15 points apiece.
 
SERIES HISTORY
• The Saint Louis-George Mason series dates to 2013. SLU, which has won the last four meetings, leads 6-3-1 overall and 3-0 at Hermann Stadium.
• The Billikens defeated the Patriots 5-0 in the most recent meeting on Oct. 24, 2024, in St. Louis. Audrey Smith, Nina Preusser and Hope Kim each had a goal.
• George Mason last defeated SLU on Oct. 11, 2015, a 1-0 decision in Fairfax, Va.
 
SAINT LOUIS IN THE NATIONAL PICTURE
• Through games of Sept. 24, SLU checked in at No. 80 in the NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).
• Dayton (No. 90) is the only other A10 team in the top 100. Loyola Chicago is just outside the top 100 at No. 102. Sunday's opponent, George Mason, is No. 165, ranking sixth among A10 teams.
• Three of the Billikens' non-conference opponents are among the top 75 in the RPI – Alabama (No. 6), Kansas (No. 32) and Illinois (No. 73).
• Saint Louis received votes in this week's United Soccer Coaches national poll. The Bills are ranked No. 1 in the East Region.
 
TRADITION OF BALANCED SCORING CONTINUING
• Midway through the 2026 season, the Billikens are again featuring their traditional balanced attack. Seventeen of SLU's 22 goals have been assisted, and all 17 have featured a different player combination.
• Nine players have combined for the Bills' 22 goals, 14 have at least one assist and 16 have at least one point. Audrey Smith leads with seven goals and 15 points (both career highs), while Hope Kim and Ashley Miller have a team-high four assists.
 
BILLIKENS IN THE ATLANTIC 10, NCAA STATISTICAL RANKINGS
• Saint Louis leads the Atlantic 10 Conference in assists (24 – 21st nationally), goal differential (plus-16 – 23rd nationally), points (68 – 33rd nationally) and goals (22 – 42nd nationally).
• The Billikens are second in the league in win-loss-tie percentage (.650), goals against average (0.60 – 33rd nationally), shutout percentage (.500, five shutouts in 10 games) and corner kicks per game (5.90).
• SLU ranks third in the A10 in total shots per game (13.90) and fourth in shots on goal per game (6.70).
• Audrey Smith is tied for the A10 lead with seven goals and 15 points, tying for 24th and tying for 44th, respectively, in the nation. Smith's two game-winning goals are tied for first in the conference and tied for 48th nationally.
• Pepper Escher is second in the league in goals against average (0.46 – 21st nationally) and shutouts (three). Escher is third in the A10 and 23rd nationally in save percentage (.864).
• Hope Kim and Ashley Miller are tied for second in the A10 in assists (four).
 
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' seventh installment featuring three-time conference Defensive Player of the Year Courtney Hulcer.
• 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
• Saint Louis and Dayton fought to a 0-0 draw Thursday night in a meeting of Atlantic 10 Conference rivals at Baujan Field.
• Pepper Escher stopped Dayton's only shot on goal and posted her third shutout of the season as the Billikens remained unbeaten on the road.
• Saint Louis tallied a 5-1 advantage in shots on goal, with Audrey Smith and Ashley Miller directing two apiece. Miller matched her career high with a team-high four total shots.
 
HEAD COACH KATIE SHIELDS
• Now in her 14th season as Saint Louis' head coach, Katie Shields owns a 187-67-27 (.714) 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 GEORGE MASON
• With five wins, George Mason already has surpassed its total from last year. The 2025 Patriots were 4-10-4 overall and 3-5-2 (tied for ninth) in conference play.
• Graduate midfielder Mia Casciani is tied for the A10 lead with seven goals and 15 points.
• Redshirt-junior midfielder/forward Mia Arevalo-Delcid and freshman forward/midfielder Keira Jeffries have four goals apiece.
• Freshman forward Kylie Beauregard has three goals, and her three assists tie junior defender/midfielder Gianna Chrapek for the team lead. Senior midfielder Molly Starner also has three goals.
• The Patriots have employed two goalkeepers. Senior Libby Davy, who has played 79 percent of the minutes, has a 1.27 goals against average, a .706 save percentage, two shutouts and a 4-2-2 record. Freshman Kayla Dodd, who was between the posts in Mason's two most recent outings, has a 1.42 GAA, a .400 save percentage and a 1-0-1 record.