Box Score EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The SIUE men's soccer team got its 2013 campaign off on the right foot Friday night, defeating Milwaukee 2-0 in exhibition action at Korte Stadium.
"It was a good performance overall," Head Coach Kevin Kalish said after the match. "I felt that we had the correct mentality going into the game. Attacking wise, I thought our combination play was quite good and I thought we defended well as a group."
The Cougars put on a dominant performance in front of a crowd of 2,571 fans, with goals coming from senior Joe Sales and junior Lewis Ellis.
SIUE controlled the tempo throughout the match, outshooting the Panthers 8-6 and finding the net in each half of play.
The hosts created several chances early on before Sales, one of three seniors on the Cougars' roster, found the net from a set piece in the 39th minute.
Ellis curled in a corner kick from the left side that found its way through a crowded penalty area to Sales at the far post. The Downington, Pa. native brought the ball down and produced a composed finish from seven yards to give the Cougars the lead.
The score remained 1-0 going into halftime before Ellis, making his SIUE debut, doubled the Cougars' lead early in the second half.
The Welshman received a pass from Christian Volesky at the right edge of the penalty area and let fly with a curling left-footed strike that snuck inside the far post.
Kalish was pleased with the way the team's new players performed in their first game wearing the SIUE uniform.
"What you saw tonight was a lot of new players contributing and playing big roles within our system," Kalish said. "I think the group knows that in order to have success, it's going to have to be about the team, playing our style, and dictating the game on both sides of the ball."
The Cougars now have a week of training as they prepare for their second and final exhibition match of the preseason, when they host IUPUI at Korte Stadium next Friday.
SIUE's head coach said that while he was pleased with the team's performance, the squad still has plenty of room for improvement.
"We have to continue to improve," Kalish added. "We have a long way to go, and we have to continue to get better in many facets if we're going to keep winning games."
