SIUE Cougars (0-3) vs. Saint Louis Billikens (2-1-1)
Sun., Sep. 6, 6:00 p.m.
Bob Guelker Field at Ralph Korte Stadium
Edwardsville, Illinois

FOR OPENERS: SIUE is playing its 60th men's soccer season in 2026 and opening the home season tonight. Since 2018, the Cougars are 6-1-1 in home openers. 

ROAD TRIPPING: The Cougars are playing their first home game and will return to the road for a Thursday game at Loyola, and will have played four of their first five games on the road. 

HOME COOKING: The home contest with Bradley marks the first of a four-game home stand. Since the start of the 2023 season, SIUE is 20-6-2 at Korte Stadium. 

RANK AND FILE: SIUE has faced a pair of ranked opponent to start the season. Last week, the Cougars dropped a Thursday contest to 24th-ranked Michigan State. SIUE opened the season against No. 25 Kansas City. SLU had been ranked among the top 10 for the first two weeks this season. 

ON THE LINE: The winner takes home the Joseph Carenza, Sr. trophy, aslo known as the Bronze Boot. The trophy is named for St. Louis soccer legend Joseph Carenza, Sr.

THE SERIES: The all-time series dates to 1969, with the first "Bronze Boot" game taking place in 1971. Regularly a well-attended game, the meeting was held at Busch Stadium II from 1972-1986. A crowd of 22,512 saw the Billikens and Cougars play at Busch Stadium on Oct. 30, 1980. Until earlier this season, it was the largest attended NCAA soccer game ever. The Billikens own a 28-11-3 advantage in the overall series, including a 24-7-3 lead in the Bronze Boot series. The two teams didn't hold a regular season meeting between 1995 and 2018. Since 2018, SLU leads the series 3-2-2.