TONIGHT: Tonight is the first of two preseason games for SIUE. The Cougars will meet Cincinnati in the lone home game of the preseason Friday at Korte Stadium.
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AT THE HELM: Cougars Head Coach Mario Sanchez begins his fourth season in charge of men's soccer. Sanchez sports a 29-19-10 record in three full seasons at SIUE. In his seventh season overall as a head coach, Sanchez is 53-60-19.
LAST SEASON: SIUE finished 2017 at 7-10-1 while adjusting to life in a new conference. The Cougars were 5-4-1 at home and 2-5 away from Edwardsville. SIUE finished 2-3 in their first Mid-American Conference season and earned a spot in the four-team MAC tournament.
SERIES STUFF: SIUE and Tulsa have seven previous regular-season matchups in their history. The Cougars own a 4-3 advantage in the series. The last meeting, in Edwardsville in 2014, featured a 2-1 overtime win for Tulsa.
ROSTER OVERHAUL: The Cougars roster will have a different feel to it for 2018. SIUE lost six players that played in at least 11 games last season, including first-team All-MAC selection Devyn Jambga and goalkeeper Kyle Dal Santo, who played every minute in goal over the last two seasons. To compensate, SIUE has added 14 players to its roster since the end of last season. That group includes seven true freshmen and four NCAA Division I transfers.
SCORING LEADERS: SIUE's top three scorers from a season ago return for the Cougars. Jorge Gonzalez led the way with 12 points on five goals and two assists. Greg Solawa was second with eight points (3G, 2A). Lachlan McLean was second on the team with four goals (eight points) despite missing the final nine games due to injury.
