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

More Information All-Time SIUE Coaching Records Cougars at the NCAAs Ed Huneke Kevin Kalish

August 15, 2007 SIUE's Huneke To Retire as Soccer Head Coach; Kevin Kalish Named to Take Over in 2008           EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Ed Huneke, the winningest coach in Southern Illinois University Edwardsville soccer history, has announced his retirement from coaching, effective at the end of the 2007 season.           Kevin Kalish, recently named SIUE's associate head coach, will be promoted to head coach after the season's end, according to SIUE Director of Athletics Dr. Brad Hewitt. The long-time assistant coach under Huneke will take over a program that has produced 20 NCAA Tournament appearances, two national championships (1972 and 1979) and two national runners-up (1975, 2004).           Huneke heads into his final season with a career record of 240-151-31 (.605 winning percentage).           "I've been blessed to have a job that has generated many great memories and relationships," said Huneke.           Those memories include three national semifinalist appearances in 2001, 2004 and 2005. SIUE has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last four consecutive seasons and five out of the last seven.           "This (retiring) has been something I have been thinking about for a while," said Huneke. "Right now, with the program playing at a high level, I think this is the right time to pass the torch."           Hewitt said the timing of the move allows the program to make a smooth transition from coach to coach.           "Ed has stood the test of time for a program that started a tradition of excellence at SIUE. His commitment to his student-athletes and the soccer community has been outstanding throughout his career," he said. "Kevin Kalish will ensure this program will continue on that course.           "We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to hire Kevin. He is a leader in the soccer community nationally, not just in the St. Louis area."           SIUE has advanced to the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Championship game in each of the last three seasons. The Cougars were national semifinalists in 2005 and national finalists in 2004.           Huneke successfully kept the mystique of Cougar soccer built by his predecessor Bob Guelker. The Cougars advanced to the NCAA Tournament six times under Huneke. He posted 15 seasons of 10 or more victories, including the last eight in a row.           Last season, John Matthews became the 11th All-American under Coach Huneke. That includes a school-record three All-Americans in the 2003 season.           SIUE has won four Great Lakes Valley Conference championships under Huneke. The first was in 1997, and the latest came this past season.           Kalish is poised to become the third head coach in the program's history, which has collected 456 victories since the program started in 1967. A member of the St. Louis University Athletic Hall of Fame, the former Billiken All-American is beginning his eighth season on the sidelines as Huneke's assistant coach. Since Kalish joined the program in 2000, SIUE has produced a 107-28-16 record.                     -siue cougars-