SIUE Cougars (5-10-2, 4-4-2 OVC) vs. Western Illinois Leathernecks (5-10-4, 3-3-4 OVC)
Sun., Nov. 9, 12:00 PM CT
Hunter Stadium
St. Charles, Mo. 

LAST TIME: SIUE concluded the regular season with a 2-1 win at Eastern Illinois last Sunday. The Cougars came back from a goal down to earn the win.

THIS WEEK: SIUE opens up Ohio Valley Conference tournament play with a Sunday meeting with Western Illinois. It is the third meeting of the year between the two sides. 

THE SERIES: The Cougars and Leathernecks have faced off 28 previous times in men's soccer in a series that dates back to 1972. This will be the 14th neutral site game in the series. The two sides have played more neutral games in the series than they have at either school's home venue. Western Illinois defeated SIUE twice during the regular season.

ALL-OVC: SIUE had four All-OVC Honorees. Wes Gibson, Evan Howard and Carles Zomeño were named to the First Team. Howard joined freshman goalkeeper Noah Scheidweiler on the All-Newcomer team. 

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Wes Gibson (defender) and Noah Scheidweiler (goalkeeper) were named Players of the Week 10/21 following two shutout-wins. Evan Howard was named as the OVC Player of the Week 9/2 after he scored in each of SIUE's games in Colorado.

RANK AND FILE: SIUE has faced two ranked opponents so far this season, dropping 2-1 games on the road at No. 21 Denver and No. 16 Saint Louis.

SCORING: Howard finished the regular season tied for the league lead with eight goals. The Cougars had six first-time goal scorers in 2025: Colin Bastianoni, Dom Bartoni, Ryley Gibbs, Murray Peart, Ben Perkins and Zach Renz. SIUE lost its seven top scorers and eight of the top 10 after last season. The Cougars opened the season with just four goal scorers from a season ago representing six of 30 goals (20 percent) scored in 2024. Returners accounted for just 18 percent (15 of 85) of total points scored in 2024.

AT THE HELM: Two-time OVC Coach of the Year Cale Wassermann is in his seventh season in charge of the Cougars, and his 12th overall as a head coach. He has a record of 57-45-16 (.551) in seven seasons at SIUE. He is third all-time in wins at SIUE. 

OVC SUCCESS: Now playing the third season since the OVC began men's soccer, the Cougars have five losses to Conference opponents, with four losses coming this season. SIUE sports a 21-5-4 record in regular season games and a 4-0 mark in the OVC Tournament.