Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Men's Soccer	SIUE Men's Soccer SIUE Athletics

Brian Higgins Season Statistics

October 24, 2005 Cougars Earn No. 1 Seed For GLVC Tourney          EDWARDSVILLE, ILL. - For the third consecutive year, the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville men’s soccer team will be the No. 1 seed in the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament.          The second-ranked Cougars, 15-1-1 overall and 11-0-1 in the GLVC, play host to Bellarmine in the quarterfinals next Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at the SIUE practice fields behind Korte Stadium.          “We look upon the season with a number of goals to accomplish,” said SIUE soccer coach Ed Huneke. “One of those goals was to win the GLVC league play. There is more ahead and the playoffs are of special importance.”          The Cougars continued their unbeaten streak in GLVC regular season games to 34 contests with a win over Missouri-St. Louis and a double overtime victory against Missouri-Rolla.          “That is an impressive run of which I am really proud,” said Huneke. “As many good teams as we faced, to string it that far says a lot about the talent we have here.”          In the win over the Miners, Ross Beveridge (Dunfermline, Scotland) scored the game-winner, after Mike Banner (Washington, D.C.) had tied the game in the 81st minute.          “That win can help us down the road,” said Huneke. “Knowing that we will always find a way to win and we can come from behind that is a nice tool to have.”          In four years at SIUE, the senior class has a mark of 63-12-6 overall and 36-2-4 in GLVC regular season play.          “We have an excellent senior class. They are experienced,” said Huneke. “They have been through some big games together.”          Brian Higgins (St. Charles, Mo.) and Pete Cacciatore (St. Louis, Mo.) have both been with the Cougars for four years.          “Higgins leads the team well and has a good read for the game,” said Huneke. “Pete has come through real big for us in terms of being utilized in different positions.”          Seniors John Lamping (Barnhart, Mo.), Kevin Thibodeau (St. Charles, Mo.), and Tim Collico (St. Louis) all transferred to play at SIUE. All three players have made contributions in their time with the Cougars.          “John adds a lot to our team,” said Huneke. "Kevin has an unbelievable read for the game. We can always get a good goal out of Tim in tight situations.”                   -siue cougars-