After a 1-0 victory over Bradley in the driving wind and rain, the Bluejays travel south for their last road match of the regular season. They’ll take on SIU-Edwardsville, an up-and-coming team who only rejoined the Division I ranks in 2007. The Cougars have a proud soccer heritage though, having won national championships in 1972 and 1979. Their program is quickly returning to its former glory, as proven by their strong second-place Valley finish last season.
This year, things just haven’t gone the Cougars’ way. They opened the season with impressive wins vs. Northwestern and at Tulsa, but since then their wins have come against middling competition. SIUE is 1-2-1 in conference play, with losses to Drake and Bradley and a tie against Valley bottomfeeder Central Arkansas. Midfielder Jack Twellman, nephew of American soccer legend Taylor Twellman, is tied with Ethan Finlay in total goals, having found the net nine times this season. Nobody else on the roster is even close, though both of Peter Kelly’s goals this season have been gamewinners.
The Bluejay midfield should have no trouble picking apart their opposition, but this being the Valley, I’m hesitant to say the Jays will win this game going away. I should be safe saying if Creighton takes care of business, they should return home with another win under their belts.
The game will be streamed live (for free!) via SIUEtv, a campus web-streaming service.