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

Dustin Attarian

October 15, 2007 No. 15 Cougars Run Win Streak to Five           EDWARDSVILLE, ILL. -- Defense has been a strength for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville for a number of years now.           So now that 15th-ranked SIUE has posted four shutouts in the past five games, Coach Ed Huneke and his Cougars appear to be on track for another postseason run.           "Teams really have a hard time penetrating our defense in the flow of a game," said Huneke. "If we continue to focus on our restarts, I expect us to maintain our stinginess."           SIUE has won seven out of its last eight contests with the only blemish coming at No. 1-ranked Northern Kentucky in a 1-0 double overtime loss. In that span, SIUE has outscored its opponents 19-2. Only one team, Southern Indiana, has tallied more than one goal against the Cougar defense all season.           Huneke credits much of the defensive pressure to junior Zach Bauer (St. Charles, Mo.) and sophomore Mike Jones (St. Peters, Mo.). "They complement each other very well."           Dustin Attarian (St. Louis) joined the ranks of SIUE players who have scored 10 goals in a season. The last time SIUE had a player score in double figures was Addae Rique in 2003 when he scored 14. Of his 10 goals, six have been game-winners, which is the most game-winning goals since Mike Ngonyani had six during the 2002 season. Justin McMillian posted seven game-winners in the 2001 season, the most by a Cougar since the statistic was first tracked in 1980.           The Cougars face Saint Joseph's at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Rensselaer, Ind. On Sunday, SIUE matches up with Indianapolis at 2:30 p.m. Eastern time to close out the regular season. SIUE has guaranteed a GLVC Tournament Quarterfinal round home game.           "We still want to position ourselves for home field advantage in the playoffs," said Huneke.                     -siue cougars-