Playing under new head coach Kevin Kalish, the Saint Louis men’s soccer team turned in a 2-1-2 record in the recent spring exhibition campaign.
The five-match schedule was also accompanied by eight weeks of training. Kalish used this time to not only help the Billikens improve on the pitch, but to instill his system with the returning student-athletes.
“We were able to set some clear expectations regarding how we want to work on a daily basis, not only on the soccer field, but also with regard to our behavior,” he said. “How we treat each other as teammates, our body language and the way we act is extremely important to the culture we are trying to establish. The players did a phenomenal job of engaging in the process and holding each other accountable to the standards we set as a team. We have a great group of young men who are committed to our process, and they improved individually and collectively as a team.”
The Billikens registered wins against Northern Illinois (3-2) and Saint Louis FC (3-1). They played to draws against national finalist Indiana (1-1) and Missouri State (1-1). Saint Louis’ lone defeat of the spring season was against Xavier, a 2-1 loss in Cincinnati.
Leo Novaes scored in three of the five spring matches and led the Billikens with three goals. Also scoring was Jacob Krupp, Desmond Dolphy, Ben Huels, Anthony Brown and Spencer Jones.
In all, the Billikens scored nine goals in the five-match spring season after scoring just 19 goals in 17 games during the 2017 fall campaign.
“We made quality progress on the field and began to establish our identity for how we want to play,” Kalish said. “Each game gave us a different challenge, which was ideal for our preparation. In order for us to get results consistently in the fall, we will need to be adaptable and find ways to win games in different ways.”
The Billikens now set their sights on the fall competition schedule, which will be released shortly. Also, the Billikens’ 2018 recruiting class will be released in the coming weeks.
Additionally, the men’s soccer program will host several camps this summer. To learn more, visit www.BillikenSoccerCamp.com.
