SIUE (0-1, 0-0 MVC)  
at CSUN (1-0, 0-0 Big West) 
Sun., Aug. 28, 9:30 p.m. CT
Live stats: gomatadors.com/sidearmstats/msoc/
Live video: ESPN+ (Ghizal Hasan)

THE COUGARS: Opened the 2022 Thursday at Loyola Marymount, falling 3-1 to the Lions. Nacho Abeal netted the only goal for the Cougars, the first of his SIUE career.

BACK IN THE VALLEY: After playing four seasons in the Mid-American Conference, SIUE returned to the Missouri Valley Conference in 2021. The Cougars previously played as affiliate members in the league from 2010-2016. SIUE won a pair of tournament championships, one regular season championship and has an overall record of 29-19-7 in the MVC.

LAST SEASON: SIUE won six games in the fall of 2021 with four wins coming at home and four wins coming in Missouri Valley play. The Cougars finished third in the league and fell in the opening round of the MVC tournament. SIUE was the third-highest scoring team in the Valley with 64 total points (3.56/game) and 23 total goals (1.28/game). The Cougars were fifth in the league in total shots (179).

THIS SEASON: The Cougars return 13 letter winners, while also losing 13 letter winners. SIUE returns six players who started at least 13 games last year. 

ON POINT: Despite losing leading scorer Alex Segura (10 points), the Cougars return four of their top five offensive producers from last season. In all, SIUE returns 57 percent of its scoring from last season. 

PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATION: SIUE earned 32 points and was picked in a third-place tie in the MVC's preseason poll. Additionally, defender Max Broughton and midfielder Pau Palacin each earned a spot on the All-MVC preseason team.

AT THE HELM: Head Coach Cale Wassermann is beginning his fourth season in charge of the Cougars. He has a career record of 19-21-6 at SIUE. 

SERIES STUFF: SIUE is facing CSUN for just the second time in men's soccer. The Cougars defeated the Matadors 1-0 in Edwardsville in 2016. That was part of a 10-win season, which saw SIUE advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.