0-1-1.
While this current record for the Saint Louis University men’s soccer team seems a little lack-luster, it does not reflect the game experience and mental toughness that the Billikens have gained from their two exhibition games, according to sophomore goalkeeper Ross Kaufman.
“The two exhibition games we’ve played thus far were really important especially because they were versus two quality teams that had skillful players,” Kaufman said. “Being able to play competitive games like that before the season is good because it lets our team know how we’re looking and what we need to work on.”
Head coach Dan Donigan, agreeing with Kaufman, said the team took more away from the first few games than their current record might suggest. Overall, he was pleased with the level of play during the exhibition season.
“We had the opportunity to play two potential top 20 teams, and we were able to get a good look at a variety of players in different situations. We are still making minor adjustments to our game, but right now I am pleased with where we are,” Donigan said.
In their game against South Florida University, the Billikens possessed the ball for the majority of the match, but it was South Florida that found the back of the net off a misplay in the backfield in the 23rd minute.
“The strongest part of our team is the defense, but against South Florida, they were a strong, physical team, and they got on a few counterattacks that we struggled with, which caused our defense to be a little unorganized,” Kaufman said.
Even though the Bills had a successful exhibition season, Donigan said there is still room for improvement.
“At the same time you’re never really satisfied since we are always trying to improve and become more prepared,” Dunegan said. “We’re in the process of finding a proven attack, and hopefully we can find guys that will step up or a rhythm to our game that will give us opportunities to score.”
Heading into their match against Southern Methodist University Aug. 31, the Billikens are ranked in two preseason polls. The National Soccer Coaches Association of America ranked SLU 21 overall, while College Soccer News has the Billikens 19 in the nation. In addition, www.topdrawersoccer.com put the Billikens at No. 22 in its preseason ranking.
While posting a good record will keep SLU among the elite in the A-10 Conference and national level, the success of this year is going to be with the non-conference schedule, according to Kaufman.
“If we can pull together and win a few big games early, that will give us more confidence to run the table in the A-10 Championships, he said. “Big results in the non-conference will help us to be a top team in the post season.”
The only roadblock for the Billikens, then, would be that Donigan considers this season’s schedule to one of the most difficult the school has had in some time.
“For whatever reason, it seems as though this season is going to be different than those we’ve had in the past,” Donigan said. “Going on the road for three games to face top 20 teams, then coming home to face more high-caliber teams is going to be really tough.”
