Sept. 4, 2011

 

Box Score

 

CHICAGO - Jared Tejada made his first goal of the season a game winner Sunday as SIUE men's soccer defeated DePaul 2-1 at Wish Field.

Tejada's goal came at 84:26 with an assist from Matt Polster, a freshman from Las Vegas, Nevada. It was Polster's third assist in three games as a Cougar. SIUE Head Coach Kevin Kalish said the winning goal developed as Polster won a tackle near midfield and then provided a great pass to Tejada.

The Cougars, 2-1, have now won both of its road contests in the early season. This one was a come-from-behind victory.

"The guys really showed a lot of character today," said SIUE Head Coach Kevin Kalish.

The two teams were tied at halftime although SIUE had a decided edge in corner kicks 7-2 at that point DePaul, 1-2, would strike the nets first, however as Antonio Aguilar connected on a penalty kick at 63:47.

The Cougar, which equaled the Blue Demons' shot total at 12, didn't back down as freshman Travis Hoguet scored the first goal of his collegiate career unassisted at 66:55. Hoguet pounded the ball from 30 yards out to the upper left corner beyond the reach of DePaul goalkeeper Joe Ferrari to tie the score 1-1.

SIUE goalkeeper Scott Meyer earned the victory in net. He finished with five saves including a key one nearly a minute before Tejada would score the go-ahead goal.

Kalish also noted the play of Brian Groark who played all 90 minutes for the Cougars. "He stepped it up defensively," Kalish added.

The Cougars now travel to Evansville, Ind., for the first of two regular season tournaments. SIUE plays former Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) rival Eastern Illinois Friday at 5 p.m. and Marist Sunday at noon. The ProRehab Aces Soccer Classic is hosted by MVC rival Evansville.

-siue cougars-