2024 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's soccer team
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| 2024 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's soccer | |
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| Conference | Ohio Valley Conference |
| Head coach |
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| Assistant coaches |
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| Home stadium | Ralph Korte Stadium Capacity, 4,000 |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Liberty | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Illinois | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Illinois | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Houston Christian | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Incarnate Word | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lindenwood # | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SIUE | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Indiana # | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: OVC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2024 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's soccer team represents Southern Illinois University Edwardsville during the 2024 NCAA Division I men's soccer season, the school's 58th season. The Cougars are coached by Cale Wassermann. The team plays their home games on Bob Guelker Field at the Ralph Korte Stadium as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).[1][2] The Cougars are the defending OVC regular season and tournament champions.
Preseason
The Cougars return thirteen players from 2023 as well as a redshirt. They are joined by five freshmen and eight transfers from other schools.[3] Included in the returners are the Cougars' four top scorers from 2023, Pavel Dashin, Stephan Moreira, Ignacio "Nacho" Abeal Pou, and Jake Karolczak. These four, plus six other returners accounted for 29 goals and 27 assists of last season's total 44 goals and 46 assists.[4]
In August, the OVC head coaches and communications directors voted to pick the preseason favorite to win the OVC Men's Soccer Championship. Teams received 7 points for a first-place votes, 6 for a second-place vote, etc.
2023 OVC Men's Soccer Predicted Order of Finish [5]
1. SIUE (11 first-place votes) - 95 points
2. Liberty (3) - 79
4. Lindenwood - 66
5. HCU (2) - 59
6. Eastern Illinois - 36
7. Western Illinois - 25
8. Southern Indiana - 21
In the TopDrawerSoccer.com Preseason College Soccer National Ranking, the Cougars were ranked #25. [6]
Regular season
In the season opener, the statistics would seem to show the Big Ten's Michigan State Spartans dominating the Cougars by leading 12-4 in shots, 6-3 in shots on goal, and 3-1 on corner kicks, but the final score was a 1-1 draw. Strong defense was the keynote for both teams, as they moved up and down the pitch, with the Cougars reluctant to take the less-than-perfect shot. After a near-thing foul in the box, Sparty scored first on a penalty kick in the 38th minute that was the only thing to get past Rob Gjelaj in his debut as the Cougars' goalkeeper. In the 60th minute, Patrick Coleman sent a perfect pass to Nic Muench that was driven past the MSU keeper to earn the draw. [7]
In the first game of their Wolstein Classic, the Big Ten's 20th ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, the Cougars were pretty much dominated in the first half, and, although the second half was fairly well evenly-played, OSU added two more goals to the two from the first half. With four Buckeyes scoring and three of the four adding assists, the home team outshot the Cougars 17-8 and 10-2 on goal. Although conceding the four goals, Rob Gjelaj made six saves before both sides changed goalkeepers late in the game. Nic Muench led the Cougars with three shots, and Wes Gibson got off two, but it was too little to matter. [8]
Post season
The Ohio Valley Conference men's soccer tournament will again be held at SIUE's Ralph Korte Stadium. [5]
Honors
Following the season opening draw with Michigan State, defender Nic Muench was named the Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his game-tying goal, and Rob Gjelaj was named the Ohio Valley Conference Goalkkeeper of the Week for allowing only a penalty kick goal while making 5 saves [9]
Coaches
Hired just in time to lead the Cougars through the Covid-19 Pandemic, Cale Wassermann is in his sixth season as SIUE's eighth head coach. His record through five years is 40–30–11.[10] He and his assistants were named the 2023 NCAA North Region Coaching Staff of the Year. [11]
Jordan Grant is in his third season as a Cougars' assistant coach.[12]
Jaxsen Wirth is in his second season as a Cougars' assistant coach, having joined the Cougars as an assistant and goalkeepers coach just before the 2023 season opened.[13]
Roster
Buff background indicates returning players from 2023. Pink background indicates players "redshirted" in 2023.
| # | Name | Nationality | Height | Weight | Class | Hometown | High School | Academy/Club | Transfer from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||||||
| 1 | Rob Gjelaj | 
|
6'2" | 185 | Graduate Student | Bruce Township, Michigan | Romeo | Northwood | |
| 29 | Ethan Kornas |
|
5'11" | 150 | Redshirt Sophomore | Huntley, Illinois | Huntley | Eclipse Select SC | |
| 31 | Patrick O'Day |
|
6'2" | 180 | Junior | O'Fallon, Missouri | Liberty | Lewis and Clark | |
| Defenders | |||||||||
| 3 | Elliott Forestier | 
|
5'11" | 175 | Junior | Sydney, Australia | Sydney Secondary College | Sydney Olympic FC | Oklahoma Christian |
| 4 | Wes Gibson* |
|
6'1" | 180 | Graduate Student | Morton, Illinois | Morton | Central Illinois United | |
| 5 | Archie McDonnell | 
|
6'4" | 187 | Redshirt Freshman | Leeds, England | St Mary's Menston | UFCA and Horsforth St. Margaret's | |
| 12 | Enrique Ezquerro | 
|
6'1" | 177 | Junior | Pradejon, Spain | Valle del Cidacos | Pradejon | WVU Tech |
| 13 | Patrick Coleman |
|
5'11" | 160 | Graduate Student | Antioch, Illinois | Antioch | Chicago Magic Academy & FC United PDL Academy | Northern Illinois |
| 15 | Bobby Pauly |
|
6' | 165 | Sophomore | St. Charles, Missouri | Orchard Farm | St. Louis Scott Gallagher | |
| 19 | Nic Muench | 
|
6'1" | 167 | Senior | Heidelberg, Germany | Gymnasium Englisches Insutiut | Mercyhurst | |
| 25 | Anton Mosley |
|
6'1" | 180 | Freshman | Shiloh, Illinois | Belleville-East | St. Louis Scott Gallagher | |
| 27 | Garrison Hill |
|
6'2" | 175 | Redshirt Sophomore | Kansas City, Missouri | The Pembroke Hill School | Sporting Blue Valley SC | |
| 28 | Colin Bastianoni |
|
6' | 170 | Redshirt Sophomore | Naperville, Illinois | Metea Valley | Eclipse SC | |
| Midfielders | |||||||||
| 2 | Brian Franco |
|
5'7" | 145 | Freshman | Omaha, Nebraska | Omaha South | St. Louis City 2 | |
| 6 | Carles Zomeno |
|
6' | 160 | Junior | Valencia, Spain | Salt Lake CC | ||
| 8 | Yasha Schaerer | 
|
5'8" | 160 | Sophomore | Langnau am Albis, Switzerland | United School of Sports | Swiss 1.Liga Group 3 | Mid-America Christian |
| 11 | Stephan Moreira |
|
5'10" | 15 | Senior | Colchester, England | Aldershot Town FC | Bryan College | |
| 14 | Zach Renz |
|
5'10" | 165 | Redshirt Sophomore | Wentzville, Missouri | Timberland | St. Louis Scott Gallagher Elite | |
| 18 | Ben Perkins |
|
6'2" | 165 | Freshman | Affton, Missouri | St. John Vianney | St. Louis Scott Gallagher | |
| 22 | Jake Karolczak |
|
5'10" | 175 | Redshirt Junior | St. Charles, Missouri | St. Dominic | ||
| 24 | Karson Gibbs |
|
5'10" | 160 | Junior | St. Charles, Missouri | Fort Zumwalt South | St. Louis City 2 | St. Louis |
| 26 | Tyler Sargent |
|
5'10" | 145 | Freshman | Oakville, Missouri | Whitfield School | St. Louis City | |
| Forwards | |||||||||
| 7 | Jacobo Sanfeliu |
|
6'1" | 190 | Senior | Barcelona, Spain | FC Martinec | Sterling College | |
| 9 | Pavel Dashin | 
|
6'2" | 185 | Graduate Student | Krasnodar, Russia | FC Krasnodar | Reinhardt | |
| 10 | Ignacio Abeal Pou* |
|
5'9" | 160 | Senior | A Coruña, Spain | Jefferson College | ||
| 17 | Jacob Bilyeu |
|
6'2" | 155 | Graduate Student | Oakville, Missouri | Oakville | ||
| 23 | Ryley Gibbs |
|
6' | 170 | Freshman | O'Fallon, Missouri | Fort Zumwalt South | St. Louis City 2 | |
= Players "redshirted' for the 2024 season.- * = Captains
Schedule and results
Exhibitions
| August 10, 2024 | SIUE | v | Evansville | Evansville, Indiana |
| 1:00 PM | [ ] | Stadium: Arad McCutchan Stadium |
| August 17, 2024 Cougar Kickoff | Marquette | v | SIUE | Edwardsville, Illinois |
| 7:00 PM | [ ] | Stadium: Ralph Korte Stadium |
Regular season
| August 22, 2024 | Michigan State | 1-1 | SIUE | Edwardsville, Illinois |
| 8:00 PM | Kerrigan  38' (PK) |
[1] | Muench 60' (Coleman) |
Stadium: Ralph Korte Stadium Attendance: 100 Referee: Tim Wagner |
| August 29, 2024 Wolstein Classic | SIUE | 0-4 | No.20 Ohio State | Columbus, Ohio |
| 7:00 | [2] | Vellios 11' Adedokun 27' (Borkovich)Ajagbe 67' (Vellios)Borkovic 71' (Adedokun) |
Stadium: Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium Attendance: 917 Referee: Eulogio Villalpando |
| September 1, 2024 Wolstein Classic | SIUE | 0-4 | Dayton | Columbus, Ohio |
| 2:00 PM | [ ] | Sigurdsson 44' (Quiah) Quiah 52'Sigurdsson 64' (Armstrong)Sassine (66) |
Stadium: Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium Attendance: n/a Referee: Saki Atsas |
| September 8, 2024 Bronze Boot Game | No. 6 St. Louis | v | SIUE | Saint Louis, Missouri |
| 6:30 PM | [] | Stadium: CityPark |
| September 12, 2024 | SIUE | v | Memphis | Memphis, Tennessee |
| 6:00 PM | [ ] | Stadium: Track and Soccer Complex |
| September 18, 2024 | Bradley | v | SIUE | Edwardsville, Illinois |
| 7:00 PM | [ ] | Stadium: Ralph Korte Stadium |
| September 22, 2024 | Omaha | v | SIUE | Edwardsville, Illinois |
| 12:00 Noon | [ ] | Stadium: Ralph Korte Stadium |
| September 28, 2024 | Lindenwood | v | SIUE | Edwardsville, Illinois |
| 7:00 PM | [ ] | Stadium: Ralph Korte Stadium |
| October 3, 2024 | Eastern Illinois | v | SIUE | Edwardsville, Illinois |
| 6:00 PM | [ ] | Stadium: Ralph Korte Stadium |
| October 5, 2024 Homecoming | Southern Indiana | v | SIUE | Edwardsville, Illinois |
| 7:00 PM | [ ] | Stadium: Ralph Korte Stadium |
| October 10, 2024 | SIUE | v | Lindenwood | St. Charles, Missouri |
| 7:00 PM | [ ] | Stadium: Hunter Stadium |
| October 13, 2024 | Liberty | v | SIUE | Edwardsville, Illinois |
| 12:00 Noon | [ ] | Stadium: Ralph Korte Stadium |
| October 17, 2024 | SIUE | v | Incarnate Word | San Antonio, Texas |
| 7:00 PM | [ ] | Stadium: Gayle & Tom Benson Stadium |
| October 20, 2024 | SIUE | v | Houston Christian | Houston, Texas |
| 1:00 PM | [ ] | Stadium: Sorrels Field |
| October 26, 2024 | Western Illinois | v | SIUE | Edwardsville, Illinois |
| 2:00 PM | [ ] | Stadium: Ralph Korte Stadium |
| October 31, 2024 | SIUE | v | Southern Indiana | Evasville, Indiana |
| 6:00 PM | [ ] | Stadium: Strassweg Field |
| November 3, 2024 | SIUE | v | Eastern Illinois | Charleston, Illinois |
| 1:00 PM | [ ] | Stadium: Lakeside Field |
Post-season
2023 Ohio Valley Conference men's soccer tournament
| November 10, 2024 | v | Edwardsville, Illinois | ||
| TBA | [ ] | Stadium: Ralph Korte Stadium |
NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament
| November 15, 2024 1st round | v | TBA | ||
| TBA | [ ] | Stadium: TBA |
Statistics
Source: [18]
- Through game of August 22.
| Player | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muench | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Coleman | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Field Players | ||||||||||||||
| # | Name | Games | Starts | Minutes | Goals | Assists | Points | Shots | Shot %age | Shots On Goal | OG %age | Yellow/Red cards | Game Winners | Penalty Goals/Kicks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 |
Nic Muench |
1 | 1 | 90 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1.000 | 1 | 1.000 | 1/0 | 0 | 0/0 |
| 13 | Patrick CVoleman | 1 | 1 | 44 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0.00 | 0-0 | 0 | 0-0 |
| 10 | Nacho Abeal | 1 | 1 | 73 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 | 1 | 0.500 | 1-0 | 0 | 0-0 |
| 17 | Jacob Bilyeu | 1 | 1 | 90 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0.000 | 0-0 | 0 | 0-0 |
| 3 | Elliott Forestier | 1 | 0 | 63 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0.000 | 0-0 | 0 | 0-0 |
| 23 | Brian Franco | 1 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0.000 | 0-0 | 0 | 0-0 |
| 24 | Karson Gibbs | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0.000 | 0-0 | 00 | 0-0 |
| 21 | Ryley Gibbs | 1 | 0 | 64 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0.000 | 1-0 | 0 | 0-0 |
| 4 | Wes Gibson | 1 | 1 | 90 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0.000 | 0-0 | 0 | 0-0 |
| 1 | Robert Gjelaj | 1 | 1 | 90 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0.000 | 0-0 | 0 | 0-0 |
| 22 | Jake Karolczak | 1 | 1 | 71 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 1 | 1.000 | 0-0 | 0 | 0-0 |
| 15 | Bobby Pauly | 1 | 1 | 90 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0.000 | 0-0 | 0 | 0-0 |
| 14 | Zach Renz | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0.000 | 0-0 | 0 | 0-0 |
| 7 | Jacobo Sanfeliu | 1 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0.000 | 0-0 | 0 | 0-0 |
| 8 | Yasha Schaerer | 1 | 1 | 75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0.000 | 0-0 | 0 | 0-0 |
| 6 | Carles Zomeno | 1 | 1 | 90 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0.000 | 1-0 | 0 | 0-0 |
| Totals | 1 | - | 990 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0.250 | 3 | 0.750 | 4-0 | 0 | 0-0 | |
| Opponents | 1 | - | 990 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0.083 | 6 | 0.500 | 4-0 | 0 | 1-1 | |
| Goalkeepers | |||||||||||||
| # | Name | Games | Starts | Minutes | Goals allowed | GA Ave. | Saves | Save % | Wins | Loses | Ties | Shutouts | Shots Faced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rob Gjelaj | 1 | 1 | 90:00 | 1 | 1.000 | 5 | 0.833 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| Totals | 1 | - | 90:00 | 1 | 1.000 | 5 | 0.833 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | |
| Opponents | 1 | - | 90:00 | 1 | 1.000 | 2 | 0.667 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Additional stats | Corner kicks | Offsides | Fouls | Goals/game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SIUE | 2 | 0 | 13 | 1.000 |
| Opponents | 5 | 0 | 13 | 1.000 |
References
- ^ "Men's Soccer". Ohio Valley Conference. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ^ "Men's Soccer". Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ^ "2023 Men's Soccer Roster". Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "2023-24 SIUE Men's Soccer Combined Statistics All games" (PDF). Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ^ a b "SIUE Tabbed 2024 OVC Men's Soccer Preseason Favorites". Ohio Valley Conference. 15 August 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ "College Soccer National Ranking / Preseason". TopDrawerSoccer.com. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ "Cougars earn opening night draw with Michigan State". Edwardsville Intelligencer/Edwardsville Publishing Company, LLC. August 22, 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ "SIUE men's soccer falls to No. 20 Ohio State". Edwardsville Intelligencer/Edwardsville Publishing Company, LLC. August 29, 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ^ "OVC Men's Soccer Report - August 27/OVC Players of the Week". Ohio Valley Conference. August 27, 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
- ^ "Cale Wassermann". Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ^ "2023 NCAA Region Staffs of the Year Announced". United Soccer Coaches. December 1, 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ "Jordan Grant". Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ^ "Jaxsen Wirth". Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ^ "2024 Men's Soccer Roster". Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ "SIUE (Men's) / Roster". TopDrawerSoccer.com. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ "2024 Men's Soccer Roster". Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ "SIUE (Men's) / Scores & Schedule". Top Drawer Soccer.com. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ "2024 Men's Soccer Cumulative Statistics". Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Retrieved 23 August 2024.