St. Louis Billikens - '05

Hope springs eternal.

It looks like the Bills play Santa Clara. That's what I'd call a respectable non-conference opponent, last season's NCAA tournament seeding notwithstanding. (The Bills also play Duke but, then, they have played Duke before.)

Bye-bye, C-USA. Hello, Atlantic 10.

On the SLU website:
05quick-facts.pdf


2005 SAINT LOUIS WOMEN’S SOCCER SCHEDULE
(home games in caps; all times Central, subject to change)


_8-26 (FRI) OKLAHOMA (home) 7 p.m.
_8-28 (SUN) at Rice (Houston, TX) 1 p.m.

_9- 2 (FRI) at SEMO (Cape Girardeau, MO) 7 p.m.
_9- 4 (SUN) ILLINOIS STATE (home) 1 p.m.
_9- 8 (THU) at Mississippi (Oxford, MS) 7 p.m.
_9-11 (SUN) DUKE (home) 1 p.m.

Toys for Tots Tournament (home)
(9-16 (FRI) Air Force v. Army__ 5:30 p.m.)
_9-16 (FRI) SLU v. DUQUESNE*___ 8 p.m.
(9-18 (SUN) Duquesne v. Army___ 11 a.m.)
_9-18 (SUN) SLU v. AIR FORCE___ 1:30 p.m.

_9-23 (FRI) at Santa Clara 9 p.m.
_9-30 (FRI) CHARLOTTE* (home) 7 p.m.

10- 2 (SUN) RICHMOND* (home) 1 p.m.
10- 7 (FRI) at Temple* (Philadelphia) 6 p.m.
10- 9 (SUN) at Saint Joseph’s* (Philadelphia) Noon
10-14 (FRI) at Rhode Island* (Kingston R.I.) 6 p.m.
10-16 (SUN) at UMASS* (Amherst, MA) Noon
10-20 (THU) at Missouri St. (Springfield, MO) 7 p.m.
10-28 (FRI) GEORGE WASHINGTON* (home) 7 p.m.
10-30 (SUN) LA SALLE* (home) 1 p.m.

11-4-6 (FRI-SUN) A-10 Tournament (Dayton, Ohio) TBA


* Atlantic 10 matches

All home games played at Robert R. Hermann Stadium on the SLU campus.

(Missouri Sate is the school formerly known as Southwest Missouri State (SMS))

 

I've had several months to think about it and I'm pissed, too.

The more I think and the more I see the records of some of the teams from Virginia that got in, the more pissed I get.

If the NCAA is going to keep screwing (in both selection and seeding) teams that aren't from the East Coast, they need to stop calling the tournament a national tournament. My idea is to call it the "Teams from Virginia and Neighboring States Tournament".

Don't get me started. This is a subject for a separate thread. The NCAA's selection and seeding process is broken. It doesn't work. And I'm not just talking about women's soccer although, as I have said before, I think last year's selection and seeding in Division I women's soccer was the worst I have ever seen. I'm not just talking about leaving out SLU and UCSB and including every jack-leg team from Virginia they could think of. (If I'm not mistaken, UCSB also got screwed in the men's seeding)

The Billikens deserved to be in the tournament last year, especially considering some of the teams that got in. But, by not winning some of the close games they could and should have won, the Bills gave the selection committee an excuse for leaving them out. Being biased as they are, the committee took that excuse and ran with it.

The bias in favor of the East Coast and against the Midwest and West is unmistakable.

Last year's seeding was such a joke that I'd suggest that the selection committee should resign except that I don't think that would solve the problem. The problem is that the NCAA does selection by committee and in secret, and using an abomination called the RPI which has no basis in statistical theory. The RPI is so flawed that the NCAA is ashamed to make it public.

As I said: don't get me started.

End of mini-rant.

 

The Billiken women's team is celebrating its tenth year in existence and there's a ballot on the Billiken website for the all-decade team.

You can vote for 1 goalkeeper, 3 backs, 4 midfielders and 3 forwards. - Like the Billikens ever played with only three backs (Actually, I think they may have - but only for about ten minutes). The times they've played with 3 forwards have also been rather few although they've had a couple of pretty decent attacking mids. In fact, I think most of the forwards on the ballot were more attacking mids than they were forwards.

The choice of three forwards is pretty easy. There are three players on the ballot without whom any all-decade team would be a farce. The three are, of course, the legendary Jenny Kehl, ol' number double zero Trisha Underberg and Jamie Perry.

FORWARDS (VOTE for 3):

• Staci Dowdy (1997-98)
• Maureen Hughes (2003-present)
• MaKensie Johnson (2002-present)
• Jenny Kehl (1999-2002)
• Jill Partridge (1997-99)
• Jamie Perry (2001-04)
• Lindsay Potrafke (2000-03)
• Trisha Underberg (1996-99)

As I said, Kehl, Underberg and Perry are the obvious choices.

I can't say enough about Kehl, my favorite player of all time. She had guts, speed, the ability to dribble past virtually a whole team, and she could finish, too. The whole package. Underberg, who also dribbled past a few players, played a season at sweeper (where she wasn't too great, BTW) and still managed to rack up incredible scoring numbers over her career. (Playing at sweeper, Underberg was the most dangerous attacking player the Billikens had - it was a dismal season, and I think it rained the whole time)

The choice at goalkeeper is also pretty simple: Meghann Burke. Martin has done a respectable job at times in trying to fill Burke's shoes and has racked up some good numbers, but the standard by which others are measured is still Meghann Burke.

GOALKEEPERS (VOTE for 1)

• Meghann Burke (1999-2002)
• Katie Grellinger (1996-99)
• Amanda Martin (2003-present)

The choice at midfield is a little tougher. You can vote for only 4 but I'm thinking of at least 5. Three of them, Ferguson, Guempel and Hulcer, are current players. The others I might vote for are the incomparable Kathleen Schager (always described as a 'physical player') and the ever consistent Mandy Trokey. A couple of other players, Erin Schwetye (who had at least one pretty awesome game I can remember) and Katie Zaegel (who seemed like she was on the team for most of the decade), deserve mention even if they don't make the all-decade team.

MIDFIELDERS (VOTE for 4)

• Lachlyne Eastman (2002-present)
• Kelly Ferguson (2002-present)
• Dee Guempel (2003-present)
• Becky Hopfinger (2003-present)
• Courtney Hulcer ( 2003-present)
• Laurie Kaminski (2000-02)
• Beth Moberg (1998-2001)
• Ismahan Mohsen (1998-2001)
• Shannon Myers (1999-2002)
• Lori Richardson (1997-2000)
• Lauren Rosenfeld (2001-02)
• Kathleen Schager (1997-2000)
• Amy Schmidt (1996-99)
• Erin Schwetye (2000-02)
• Jen Tissi (1996-97)
• Mandy Trokey (1998-2002)
• Katie Zaegel (1998-2002)

The choice at back is impossible, because you can only choose three and because the Billikens have had a ton of great backs.

BACKS (VOTE for 3)

• Carrie Carlson (2000-03)
• Ellen Gerweck (2001-04)
• Melissa Gossman (1998-2001)
• Tara Gresco (2003-present)
• Marilyn Haegele (1996-97)
• Holly Houston (1996-1999)
• Kara Kornfeld (2002-04)
• Anny Lucier (2000-03)
• Katie McDonnell (1998-2001)
• Megan McNiff (1999-2002)
• Beth Nabozny (2000-03)
• Tressa Pecher (2001-03)
• Kim Sinclair (2002-04)
• Katie Stewart (1996-99)
• Sara Swindle (1999-2001)
• Kelly Young (1997-2000)

Carlson, Kornfeld, Lucier, McNiff, Pecher, Stewart and Young - and I can only vote for three? Gimme a break!

OK, how about Kornfeld, Lucier, Stewart and Young? Wait, that's four. And wasn't Lucier a forward? And how can there be an all-decade team without the magnificent Megan McNiff?

I'm going to have to think about this.

 

Bump. There's not a lot to say but we need to bump this thread to the first page.

Hulcer Sparks Billikens Past Evansville, 3-1

It was just a typical pre-season game against a team the Bills should be beating by at least 3-1. There should have been no '1' but the less said about that, the better.

The second half was complete and total dominance, which is what I would have expected for the entire game.

I didn't see anything to indicate that this year's team isn't at least as good as last year's team. Hulcer looks good to go. Mo Hughes had a couple of great touches. Winchell, and some freshman named Sweeney, give us hope that this will be an attacking team that will be fun to watch. And who is this Lachlyne Eastman?

The defense will work things out. It's Martin's senior year in goal and her chance to live up to the legend of Meghann Burke. She looks ready.

Hope springs eternal.

 

Sooner or later you're bound to get a prediction right.

2-nil might be the result but it won't be the score.

2-0 over Marquette
2-1 in overtime over Oklahoma
2-0 over Rice

At least one of those is accurate.

Billikens host Oklahoma on Friday then travel to Rice on Sunday.

A-10 Coaches Tab Billikens for Second-Place Finish
... predicted to finish behind 2004 regular-season champion Dayton.

Yea, but they didn't have to play the Billikens.

 

ARRGH!

Oklahoma Rallies Past SLU in OT, 2-1

It was a pretty even and entertaining game.

The Bills had their chances.

I didn't care for the outcome.

But, then, if there has to be a loss like this, early in the season against a non-conference opponent is not a bad time.

Rice beat Auburn the other day. I hope the Bills take Rice seriously.

 

Maybe it was Rice that didn't take the Billikens seriously enough.

Billikens Soar Past Owls 3-1

Owls Fall To Saint Louis
box score


_Saint Louis (1-1-0) vs. Rice Owls (1-1-0)
_Aug 28, 2005 at Houston
_Attendance: 457
_Weather: sunny, humid

______________SLU___Rice
_goals_________3______1
_shots________13_____14
_SOGs__________9______7
_saves_________6______6
_corners_______2______1
_fouls_________4______7
_offsides______3______0

SCORING:
Time Team Goal Scorer (Assists)
_3:49 RICE Robbins, Caitlin (Conn, Samantha; Martin, Clory)
32:10 SLU Caroline Sweeney (Allison Sole)
77:15 SLU Kelly Ferguson (Courtney Hulcer)
80:46 SLU Cassi Winchell (Liz Fox)

 

Seeing Red This Weekend

Gresco Lifts Bills Past SEMO 1-0

 

The game-winner was a perfect set play - Ferguson from Hulcer.

Ferguson's Two Goals Send SLU past ISU in OT, 2-1
stats

Redbirds Drop Game to Billikens in Overtime

Saint Louis 2, Illinois State 1 (OT)
Hermann Stadium - Sept. 4, 2005

___________SLU__ISU
shots_______13____7
SOGs_________4____6
saves________5____2
corners______4____4
offsides_____0____0
fouls_______10___13

cautions and ejections: none

SCORING SUMMARY:
62:32 ILS Carrie SCHURR (Joyce KLEINHEINZ)
69:22 SLU Kelly Ferguson (Courtney Hulcer)
94:21 SLU Kelly Ferguson (Courtney Hulcer)

Attendance: 510
Weather: Sensationally sunny, 85 degrees

 

Ferguson Heads Bills Past Ole Miss 2-1

The Billikens play Duke Sunday at Hermann Stadium. The game will be televised locally on Charter Cable.


Saint Louis 2 Ole Miss 1
(Sep 08, 2005 at Oxford, Miss.)
Box score / play by play

_________SLU____UM
shots______8____13
SOGs_______5____ 7
saves______6____ 3
offsides___0____ 0
corners____2____ 3
fouls_____16____14
cautons____0____ 2

SCORING
_8:54 SLU Liz Fox (Guempel, Hughes)
49:02 UM Jennifer Hance (Chrissy Strini)
84:21 SLU Kelly Ferguson (HULCER)

Attendance: 696
Weather: 83 degrees, mostly sunny, slight breeze

 

Good googily moogily! The Bills have played some entertaining soccer lately. The names have changed but the company is still in business, now called "Hulcer, Winchell, Guempel and Hughes".

The Bills totally decimated Duquesne last night but this post is about last Sunday's game against DOOK.

The game was quite different from the last (and only previous) time the Bills played Duke (August 29, 1999 for those keeping track).

Back in 1999, Duke was definately the more talented team. Now, in 2005, there are serious doubts about that. Personally, I don't believe it.

Playing Duke in 1999 the Bills were seriously overmatched. They played a great game (one of their best efforts I have ever seen), mangaged to keep the game close and gave Duke a scare but ended up losing 0-2 in a game that was closer than the score would indicate (Duke got the second goal literally in the final few seconds of the game).

Playing Duke in 2005 the Bills are not overmatched. Well, maybe in terms of experience and confidence, but in terms of talent, no.

There's no denying that Duke outplayed the Bills on Sunday, especially in the first half, but it wasn't because Duke has more talent. For whatever reason, the Bills simply didn't play well - nervous playing a highly ranked team maybe. In the second half the Bills played better and, after they got a goal, outplayed Duke. If they had played the entire game the way they played after they got the goal, the Bills would have beaten Duke.

In 2005, the Bills are quite capable of beating Duke. The Jones ratings confirm this. In the September 15 ratings, Duke has a rating of 1898 and SLU has a rating of 1693. That's a difference of slightly over 200 points and that's after the loss to Duke. A 200 point difference does not make a team a prohibitive favorite.

Late Rally Falls Short in 2-1 Loss to No. 8 Duke

No. 8 Duke 2, Saint Louis 1
September 11, 2005
Box score

__________SLU___Duke
Shots_______5_____17
SOGs________4_____13
Saves______11______3
Corners_____1______6
Offsides____1______0
Fouls______11______7

SCORING:
27:41 DUKE Sarah McCabe (unassisted)
50:28 DUKE Christie McDonald
86:05 SLU Cassi Winchell (Hulcer)

 

I think I saw Lachlyne Eastman playing left back, and I think I like it. Actually, I like it a lot. OMG, totally awesome! My pick for player of the match. If you ask me, Eastman was born to play left back.

According to the official box score, Eastman was playing midfield - I could be wrong but that's not what I saw.

As far as I'm concerned, Eastman can play left back full time - the job is hers; put Gresco in the midfield - end of story.

Perhaps it was the injury to Ferguson that prompted the move - if so, it's proof that every cloud has a silver lining. "Every time it rains, it rains, pennies from heaven..."

SLU vs. Duquesne was more a clinic than it was a soccer match but that's not to say it wasn't entertaining. Caroline Sweeney's goal was worth the price of admission. So were some of the other goals, as well as some of the moves by Mo Hughes (does this team have some players or what?). If any Billiken fan saw Friday's game and didn't enjoy it, they need to be checked for a pulse (I could understand a Duquesne fan not liking that game).

Billikens Open A-10 with 5-0 Win Over Duquesne
Sept. 16

box score

Duquesne 0 at Saint Louis 5

........ SLU . Duquesne
shots.... 26 .... 8
SOGs..... 15 .... 4
saves..... 4 ... 10
corners... 7 .... 4
fouls.....11 ... 15
cautions.. 1 .... 1

SCORING:
19:56 SLU Maureen Hughes (Courtney Hulcer, Cassi Winchell)
21:24 SLU Winchell (Dee Guempel)
28:28 SLU Hughes (Guempel)
46:09 SLU Winchell (Guempel)
71:06 SLU Caroline Sweeney (unassisted)

Attendance: 1113
Weather: Clear, calm, 75 degrees

The Toys for Tot's Tournament continues on Sunday with the Billikens facing Air Force at 1:30 p.m. in a game that will determine the tournament winner. (Army takes on Duquesne at 11am)

According to the Sept. 15 Jones rating, SLU should be heavily favored against Air Force (but don't tell any SLU players, lest they be overconfident).

Albyn Jones ratings:
rank_team_______W-L-T _rating SE
_49 St. Louis _ 4-2-0 _ 1693_ 91
184 Air Force _ 2-3-0 _ 1301_ 92

Go Billikens!

 

Led by Tournament MVP Maureen Hughes. SLU Soars Past Air Force 3-0 to win the Toys For Tots Tournament. Other Billikens named to the All-Tournament team were Lachlyne Eastman, Courtney Hulcer and Tara Gresco.

According to the box score, Eastman, Hulcer and Gresco were all playing midfield - yea, right, and Amanda Martin is 5'8" (at least they don't do what some teams do and list virtually everybody as a forward).

I thought for a moment that I saw the legendary Jenny Kehl playing midfield - no wait, too tall and wearing the wrong number - it's Courtney Hulcer - a legend in the making.

I also thought I saw Kathleen Schager - but it turned out to be Lachlyne Eastman.

It's too early to call this the best Billiken women's team ever but they definately have the potential to be that (their major competition would be last year's team).

I had my doubts earlier in the season but I'm beginning to think that this might be the year. Hope springs eternal.

Granted, beating up on teams like Duquesne and Air Force doesn't prove much. But, to quote a former St. Louis Cardinal football coach - "I think we're close to having in pretty good team" (talk about hedging your bets!).

A big test will come next week when the Billikens travel to Buck Shaw Stadium for a game against a really good team (or so I've been led to believe). A win would be a lot to ask for but I am hoping the Bills will at least pull out all the stops and play their game which (and I cannot believe I am saying this about a Billiken women's team) is attacking.

Go Billikens!

Air Force 0 at Saint Louis 3
September 18
Box score

___________ SLU __ AFA
Shots________18______5
SOGs__________8______5
Saves_________5______5
Corners______10______0
Offsides______2______0
Fouls_________8_____16
Cautions______1______3

SCORING:
24:06 SLU Courtney Hulcer (Maureen Hughes)
81:07 SLU Dee Guempel (unassisted)
87:08 SLU Hughes (Guempel, Hulcer)

Attendance: 933
Weather: Partly sunny, light breeze

 

Steady, welcome to BigSoccer. Your comments are appreciated. But I think you misunderstood what I was trying to say.

True dat - and I didn't say otherwise.

I was there, as well, and what you say is true. If you look at my previous post on the subject, I said, "There's no denying that Duke outplayed the Bills on Sunday...".

No denying - the Billikens were well and truly beaten. The game was not as close as the 2-1 score would indicate.

But I think you missed the point. I was comparing the 1999 Duke-SLU game to the 2005 Duke-SLU game - and I stand by what I said. The 1999 game was closer (despite the 2-0 score much closer) but, in terms of talent, the teams were not closer. The 1999 team played wild, crazy, over their heads fantastic against Duke and still couldn't beat them. The reason is simple: Duke had more talent. The 2005 Billiken team did not play their best against Duke and still only lost by one goal - the reason is simple: in terms of talent, the 2005 Billiken team is much closer to Duke than the 1999 team was. You may disagree but I have no doubt about it. We can agree to disagree.

I've noticed another thing I find interesting. According to the Jones ratings, the 1999 Duke team was nowhere near close to being competitive with the best team in the country.

The 1999-final Jones ratings are below.

Team__________rank__W--L-T rating SE
North Carolina_ _1 24--2-0 2405 __96
Duke___________ 24 13-10-0 1868 __70
St. Louis______ 72 14--3-3 1607 __69

The difference between Duke and UNC in 1999 was a whopping 537 ratings points (and Duke was #24 in the country), meaning that, in 1999, Duke had virtually no chance of coming anywhere near close to beating UNC. (The difference between Duke and SLU was 261 points - not insumountable, but not close, either).

In 2005 (Sept 15), things have changed. The difference between Duke and UNC is still over 300 points (although Duke's rank is now #10, as opposed to #24) and the difference between Duke and SLU is 205 points. But the odds of a team winnings increase exponentially with the ratings difference. So the gap has narrowed considerably since 1999.

Sept 15. 2005 Jones ratings:

Team__________rank__W--L-T rating SE
North Carolina_ _1 _6--0-0 2205 _123
Duke___________ 10 _4--0-1 1898 __97
St. Louis______ 49 _4--2-0 1693 __91

Call me a homer - I won't deny it. I'm a Billiken fan and I'm biased. But that doesn't mean I won't call them as I see them. If I think the Bills stink, I'm not afraid to say it.

This is probably the best Billiken women's team ever.

(begin rant) Last year's Billiken team was better than some teams that got in the national tournament simply on the basis of being from Virginia - I have no doubt about that. My bias pales in comparison to the bias of the NCAA selection committee which seems to think that any team from Virginia is better than any team from anywhere else. That may have been true in the past but, in 2005, it's a load of bull! If I seem bitter, it's only because I am. I know this has nothing to do with Duke, and I apologize for that, but I've about had it with the NCAA's obvious East Coast bias. (end of rant)

I say again, in case you missed it - the Billikens were well and truly beaten by Duke. You'll get no argument from me. My only point was that the reason SLU was beaten by Duke has changed between 1999 and 2005. In 1999 the difference in talent was obvious. In 2005, the talent gap has closed. There are other reasons why Duke dominated SLU in 2005.

 

Billikens Head to No. 3 Santa Clara

Lauren Olson Named A-10 Rookie of the Week

 

History will be made tonight (Friday) at Buck Shaw Stadium. Either the Billikens will get a win or tie against a highly ranked team or Jerry Simth will get his 300th victory.

Smith Seeks 300th Win Friday Night
The Broncos battle Saint Louis for the milestone victory

Aw, gee, I was hoping the Broncos didn't know about the danger of looking past the Billikens. Hope springs eternal. Maybe they'll iognore what their coach says and take the Billikens for granted anyway. We can dream.

I wanted to post this week's Jones ratings but they aren't available yet so I'll have to go with the September 15 ratings for now.

rating SE rank team..........W-L-T
.2014..98...6..Santa Clara...4-0-1
.1693..91..49..St. Louis.....4-2-0

That's a difference of 321 ratings points which would put a Billiken win in the category of a major upset - somewhere about 10-1 odds against.

What I'm hoping is that the Billikens just play - pin back their ears and go for goal. Hey, why not? The Bills have nothing to lose. Few are expecting the Bills to win, and even fewer will be surprised by some goals by Santa Clara. What might surprise some people would be some goals by the Billikens. At least one goal would be nice. I'm sort of expecting Santa Clara to score anyway - whether the Billikens play back or not. So why not turn all those great Billiken attacking player loose? I'm sure Santa Clara will test the Billiken defense no matter what. In the long run, that will be good for the Billikens. Win or lose it should be a good learning experience.

The game starts at 10pm St. Louis time and is the second match of a soccer double-header at Buck Shaw.

Go Billikens!

 

No. 5 Santa Clara Holds off Billikens 2-1

Smith Earns Milestone 300th Victory
box score / play-by-play

Saint Louis 1 at #5 Santa Clara 2
(Sep 23, 2005 at Santa Clara, Calif.)

___________SLU__SCU
shots_______5____8
SOGs________2____5
saves_______3____1
corners_____4____5
offsides____4____2
fouls______13___19
cautions___ none

Scoring:
14:30 SCU Snell, Meagan (unassisted)
34:39 SCU Klein, Brittany (Snell, Meagan)
44:21 SLU Kelly Ferguson (penalty kick)

Attendance: 1315
Weather: Clear and cool, slight breeze

 

The All Decade team rocks

If there had been a mistake I was all ready to rip into the All-Decade team and tell you what was wrong with it.

But I can't do it. There was no mistake. Try as I might I can't find a thing wrong. They got it right.

Women's Soccer All-Decade Team Announced

The voters absolutely, positively got the All-Decade team right. There were some tough choices but there's no arguing with the choices that were made.

Three are current Billikens, all midfielders - exactly the right number of current players and exactly the right three: Ferguson, Guempel and Hulcer. The former Billiken to join them in midfield was a tough choice but they got it right: Schager.

There were many great backs to choose from and only three spots on the All Decade Team - but there's no arguing with the three that were chosen. They got it right.

The choices at goalkeeper and forward were obvious. And they got it right.

All in all, it's just a fantastic All-Decade team:
(from St. Louis except Kehl and Schager)

Goalkeeper:
Meghann Burke (1999-2002/ Mehville)

Backs:
Megan McNiff (1999-2002/ Cor Jesu)
Katie Stewart (1996-1999/ John F. Kennedy)
Kelly Young (1997-2000/ St. Joseph's)

Midfielders:
Kelly Ferguson (2002-present/ St. Joseph's)
Dee Guempel (2003-present/ Incarnate Word)
Courtney Hulcer (2003-present/ St. Joseph's)
Kathleen Schager (1997-2000/ Chicago, IL)

Forwards:
Jenny Kehl (1999-2002/ Ft. Collins, CO)
Jamie Perry (2001-2004/ Rockwood Summit)
Trisha Underberg (1996-1999/ St. Thomas Aquinas)

That's the best of ten years of Billiken women's soccer. They got it right.

The thing they didn't do was name a POD (Player of the Decade), so that means I can pick my own. I'll pick two, one goalkeeper and one field player. The goalkeeper is the indomitable Meghann Burke and the field player is the incomparable, incredible Jenny Kehl. Of all of the great players the Billikens have had, those two stand out. The best of the best, IMHO.

Oh, and BTW, the Billikens beat Charlotte.

Ferguson's Winner Sends Bills Past Charlotte, 2-1
box score

Goals:
27:52 SLU Cassi Winchell (Courtney Hulcer)
62:06 SLU Kelly Ferguson (unassisted)
85:53 CHA Kelsie Ormsby (Lindsey Beam)

Great goal by Winchell; great free kick by Ferguson.

Charlotte scored a goal late but we knew the game was over when the Billikens subbed the brick wall, aka Lachlyne Eastman, back into the game. A forward in high school, you say? Had 20 goals and 9 assists her senior year? Good googily moogily! She was a forward for three years with the Billikens and someone had the bright idea to move her to back. I wonder why. Oh, heck, I don't care why. It can only be a good omen.

Oh, I almost forgot: the Billikens have a good team this year. They're fun to watch.

They play Richmond at Hermann Stadium on Sunday.

 

Billikens Snare Spiders 3-1
Twellman tallies a goal and assist against former team
box score

Richmond 1 at Saint Louis 3
Oct 02

............SLU...UR
shots.........9...11
SOGs..........4....7
saves.........6....1
corners.......5....5
offsides......1....0
fouls........13...12

SCORING
_1:46 SLU Alex Twellman (Cassi Winchell)
15:55 UR Susan Boyer (Ali Levine)
16:32 SLU Winchell (Maureen Hughes, Kelly Ferguson)
48:55 SLU Hughes (Twellman)

Attendance: 448
Weather: Overcast, breezy

 

Billikens Face First A-10 Road Tests

They play the Temple Owls on Friday and and the Saint Joseph's Hawks on Sunday.

The Billikens have never played either of these teams. So, you wonder, are these teams any good? Well, we could consult the Sept. 27 Jones ratings.

rating.SE..rank...team.......W-L-T
1690...88...46..St. Louis....6-3-0
1411...78..137..St. Josephs..4-5-1
.979..108..274..Temple.......1-7-0

Yikes! The ratings difference between SLU and Temple is over 700 points. I don't know that the Billikens have ever played a team with a rating that much lower. By contrast, the difference with St. Josephs is 'only' 279 points. So the Billikens could have a problem St. Josephs if they don't show up ready to play.

Just for fun, the ratings of the teams the Bills played last weekend are below.

rating.SE.rank...team......W-L-T
1690...88..46. St. Louis...6-3-0
1527...81..95. Richmond....2-4-2
1329...86.178. Charlotte...4-5-0

Ignoring home field advantage, the ratings difference between SLU and Richmond was only 163 points, meaning that, based on the ratings, it was a very winnable game for Richmond.

(OK, I admit it. I'm a Jones ratings fanatic - have been for years.)

 

Winchell A-10 Co-Player of the Week