#AroundTheE 9/12

Been a bit. I've been busy busting my butt between the Alestle and my internship at a PR firm in St. Louis making U.S. Cellular sound good.

It's been just as busy at SIUE.

After losing to Green Bay in a hyped up home opener, the men's soccer team has come back strong, defeating DePaul and Eastern Illinois and tying Marist. The Cougars are 3-1-1, and received two votes in last weeks NSCAA poll, unofficially making them the 42nd best team in the country. That's a big drop from the No. 30 spot the Cougars were in after beating Tulsa on the road in their season opener. The Cougars will definitely get a few looks in this weeks poll, probably somewhere in the 35th range. Next weekend is going to be huge, with games against UIC and Wisconsin in Chicago. Big tests as SIUE looks to continue to build its RPI. The first poll isn't due out for a few weeks, but the non-conference schedule the Cougars have put together should have them in good position. The problem is, Creighton is ranked No. 5 in the country and Bradley doesn't lose because of that damned Bryan Gaul guy. I don't see the MVC being a three-bid conference, but the Cougars can make it happen if they keep it up. The loss to Green Bay was a setback, but that is a team getting less respect than the Cougars and are equally impressive in the Horizon League.

The injuries keep mounting though. Jordan Barnes suffered a severe concussion against Eastern Illinois and will miss some time. The freshmen are stepping up though and hopefully it won't be that big of an issue. Matt Polster has a point in every game (4 assists, 1 goal) and Travis Hoguet has two goals.


The women's soccer team got a much needed road victory Sunday at Northern Iowa. Brittany Bodziak and Devon Thomas scored for the Cougars. Interesting to note, the Cougars planned all week in practice on using two goalkeepers against Northern Iowa. Courtney Vonder Haar earned her first career win, shutting out the Panthers in the second half while collecting three saves. Claire Lovercheck allowed Northern Iowa's goal, although Head Coach Derek Burton said it was a bad call and never crossed the line. The Cougars face Saint Louis on the 18th at Hermann Stadium, so that's a nice little trip if you don't have plans. They are an exciting young team to watch with a little kinks to work out still.


Head Coach Leah Johnson and the Cougar volleyball team went 1-2 at Bowling Green this past weekend, defeating Canisius while falling to Bowling Green and Michigan State. The Cougars are a very balanced team, with everyone contributing while Sammi Minton has done a great job getting the ball to the right place on the court. The Cougars are in a pretty good spot, going 5-6 in the non-conference. They begin their first trip through the Ohio Valley Conference Friday with a game against Murray State at the Vadalabene Center.

The football team did not play this weekend. Something about a bus breaking down on their way to the Glen Carbon School of Law. (#InsideJoke)

We should have a men's basketball schedule sometime this week. @jonathanshank did some schedule paroozing and found out we do indeed have exhibition games scheduled against Blackburn Nov. 3 and MacMurray Nov. 10. Much needed, before heading to Assembly Hall for the season opener at Illinois. Check the archives here on eCz for our best guess at a "tentative" schedule. It's probably 95 percent correct, still wouldn't rule out a new game making its way on there to bring us to a full 28 game slate.

I really like the assistant coaching hire. Good to see some Division I (and NCAA tournament success) in there aside from Allaria. Nothing against him...I love the guy, but we need someone like Cunningham.

The Sporting News has picked SIUE dead last in the OVC. No surprises there.

@abizzlecougar tweeted me a bit ago and said the Cougars have an offer on the table for JuCo center ReChaun Holmes. I don't think 6'6 makes you a center in Division I ball, but Holmes is a freshman at Morraine Valley JC and could be here next year. We'll see how that goes.

Probably expect this format on eCz for awhile until basketball starts. It will be hit or miss, so check back for updates and please tweet me if you find out anything before I do. eCz is a community, and conversation is encouraged. Next live chat (eCz Game No. 11-11) will be next Thursday for the men's soccer game against Belmont.

Games 11-09 and 11-10 (volleyball) will be bombarded at you via Twitter.

Posted in: Archives