QUINCY - In a battle of two teams ranked in the top 10 national during the preseason, this was about as lopsided as it gets.
         Brian Higgins scored twice in the first half as No. 4-ranked Southern Illinois University Edwardsville trounced No. 8-ranked Ashland 5-0 on Sunday at Quincy's Soccer Bowl Tournament.
         SIUE dominated all facets of the game, outshooting the Eagles 26-5. SIUE also collected 11 corner kicks and left Ashland with out one.
         Higgins scored at 31:37 on an assist by freshman Pete Cacciatore. His second goal came at 44:00 on a double assist from Sean Huneke and Cal Thomas.
         Tim Velten needed just 49 seconds more to give SIUE a 3-0 lead on a flying header in the box off a free kick from Chris Camacho. Velten scored the goal with 11 seconds left in the half.
         SIUE continued to create opportunities on offense in the second half. Yuzuru Takami and Brian Horan scored in the second half.
         Cougar goalkeepers Matt Evers and Jared Petersmith shared time in net. Evers had two saves. Petersmith played the final 13:30 of the game.
         The Cougars now have 12 days off before returning to action when they face Truman State at Korte Stadium on Sept. 13 at 7 p.m.
                  -siue cougars-