EDWARDSVILLE - After a successful exhibition slate that saw the Cougars come away with wins against Illinois State and IUPUI, SIUE women's soccer will officially kick off the 2021 season tomorrow night at Korte Stadium to host Chicago State. NEWS & NOTES
- SPRING RECAP: SIUE women's soccer put together one of the greatest seasons in program history last spring, winning SIUE's third OVC Soccer Championship and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016. SIUE drew Atlantic Coast Conference power Virginia in the opening round, marking the second time the Cougars played against an ACC opponent in the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars were the only team to score on the Cavaliers throughout UVA's run to the National Semifinals, with Maria Haro netting an 11th-minute goal. The Cougars finished No. 10 in the United Soccer Coaches South Region rankings - one of only two Illinois schools to earn a spot in a final regional poll.
- SEASON 40: The 2021 season marks the 40th season of intercollegiate women's soccer at SIUE, with nearly 1,000 alumni and current student-athletes having donned the Red & White since the program's inaugural season in 1982. Since the program's founding, the Cougars have amassed 377 all-time victories and have appeared in eight NCAA Tournaments (five D-II; three D-I).
- LOCAL FLAIR: Coach Burton has recruited and retained talented student-athletes from throughout the Metro East and Greater St. Louis regions. Of the 33 student-athletes on this season's roster, 21 hail from Greater St. Louis - this includes five who came to SIUE from a county in the Metro East region.
- KORTE HAPPENINGS: Korte Stadium, the longtime home of SIUE women's soccer, has undergone a major facelift this summer in anticipation of the Fall 2021 season. The most noticeable of these changes will be the installation of a state-of-the-art Nevco videoboard that will greatly enhance the match day experience for spectators and student-athletes alike.
- RETURNERS: The Cougars return all but two starters from last season's OVC champion squad, and bring back all three goalkeepers from Spring 2021. Highlighting the returning Cougars are OVC Forward of the Year MacKenzie Litzsinger, All-OVC and United Soccer Coaches All-South Region Second Team selection Lily Schnieders, and OVC All-Newcomer selection Matea Diekema.
- NEW FACES: The Red & White welcome eight newcomers to the program, six of whom hail from the Greater St. Louis area. Included in this class are sisters Ashlyn and Kaitlyn Nichols (O'Fallon, Mo.), who join Matea and Myah Diekema as the only known pair of sisters playing in the same Division I soccer program.
- SCOUTING CHICAGO STATE: The Chicago State Cougars hail from the Western Athletic Conference. Chicago State went 0-17 last spring and 0-14 in WAC play, with their opponents outscoring them 80-7. The CSU Cougars have gone 70 matches without a win, and have defeated only one D-I opponent since 2014.
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HISTORY
SIUE and Chicago State have met four times, with SIUE coming away with wins in all four previous meetings. Most recently, SIUE welcomed CSU to Korte Stadium in 2019 and emerged with a 3-1 victory. Combined, SIUE has outscored CSU by a margin of 22-3.
FOLLOW THE COUGARS
- Fans can watch the match live on ESPN+ or follow along with live stats at SIUEStats.com
- @SIUEWSoccer, the program's official Twitter page, will have live updates
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