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

Mike Banner

November 21, 2005 Men’s Soccer Deep in the Heart of Texas          EDWARDSVILLE, ILL -- Southern Illinois University Edwardsville men’s soccer coach Ed Huneke hopes that the experience his team gained from Final Four last season will pay off this year.          The fourth-ranked Cougars, 16-2-3 overall, are back in the national semifinals for the third time in five years. They will meet No. 15 Franklin Pierce, 15-5-5 overall, on Dec. 2 at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas.          “I think it will be a plus for us,” said Huneke on making a second consecutive trip to Wichita Falls. “At this point you want every little thing you can have on your side of the ledger. Just the sense and feeling of being there before and being in pressure games will serve us well.”          SIUE advanced to the national championship game last season, falling to Seattle 2-1 in Wichita Falls.          “We have been under the gun a lot over the past two years with this team,” said Huneke. “That is intangible that will provide us with a little bit of an edge.”          The Cougars defeated sixth-ranked Carson-Newman, 1-0, last Saturday to reach the Final Four. Mike Banner (Washington, D.C.) netted the game-winning goal as he now leads the team with eight.          “He is a special player that amazes people when they see him play,” said Huneke. “We will continue to strive and take our game up a notch, especially with goal scoring. A lot will come down to the players making the adjustments on the field.”          Goalkeeper Greg Crook (Columbia) made three saves in the win against the Eagles and now has a 0.24 goal against average this season.          “Greg is hot,” said Huneke. “We like goalkeepers being hot in the playoffs. They can make the difference, and with the defense he has in front of him, we will be in every game.”          The 1-0 shutout over Carson-Newman broke the school record for shutouts, with 13 this season for SIUE. The Cougars notched 12 shutouts in 2004 and 1973.          The defense has been outstanding this year,” said Huneke. “We would like to have more offense, as most soccer teams would, but as long as we keep finding a way, I can’t complain.”          Andrew Crider (Granite City) has played a significant role on defense for the Cougars, who have a goals against average of 0.50.          “Andrew gets better with every game,” said Huneke. “He had a big challenge with their (Carson-Newman’s) best player. He rose to the occasion.”                   -siue cougars-