Founded 1967 Colors Red and White Home ground Ralph Korte Stadium | Nickname Cougars Conference Ohio Valley Conference | |
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University Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Head coach Derek Burton (7th year year) Location Edwardsville, Illinois, United States | ||
Siue women s soccer vs uic 9 2 16
The SIU Edwardsville Cougars women's soccer team represent Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) in the Ohio Valley Conference of NCAA Division I soccer. The Cougars play their home matches on Bob Guelker Field at Ralph Korte Stadium located in the southwest corner of the SIUE campus in Edwardsville, Illinois. Derek Burton has been head coach since 2008.
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History
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The program was begun by Lori Stark in 1981 as a club team and was elevated to varsity status the following year. Stark departed after the 1983 season and was replaced by a series of co-head coaches.
In 1984 & '85, the program was led by Mike Kelly and head softball coach Cindy Jones. Jones was replaced in 1986 by Ed Huneke, who also became the new men's head coach. Kelly left after five seasons and was replaced in 1989 by Brian Korbesmeyer.
In 1990, Korbesmeyer became the sole head coach, a position he held through 2002, leading the Cougars to two Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) titles and three trips to the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship tournament.
Cougar alumna Lynda Bowers became head coach in 2003 and led the Cougars to two more GLVC championships and two more trips to the NCAA tournament before leaving the program after the 2007 season to pursue a career in the ministry as the university was ready to begin the transition to Division I.
Derek Burton assumed the reins of the program in 2008 and led it into Division I and the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).
In 2014, Burton's Cougars tied for the regular season OVC championship, then won the conference tournament to become the school's first entry in the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship. Playing at heavily favored Kentucky, the Cougars held the Wildcats to a scoreless tie through regulation time and two extra periods before falling on penalty kicks.
The 2016 squad finished the regular season in 4th place with a record of only 8–7–4 (6–3–1 OVC). They got through the first round of the OVC tournament by besting Austin Peay on penalty kicks 5–4, sending them to the semifinals at top-seeded Murray State. The Racers had not lost on their home field since October 2014, but the Cougars took the victory 2–1 with 11 seconds left in the first overtime period. In the tourney final, they faced co-champions Eastern Kentucky. The Cougars scored early, successfully argued that the referee had not let the goalkeeper get set on a penalty kick. Goalkeeper Juli Rossi blocked the re-try, and SIUE then held on to win 1–0 for their second title in three years. Playing in the NCAA tournament at heavily favored and 11th ranked Notre Dame, the Cougars did as they had done to the Kentucky Wildcats two years before, and held the Fighting Irish to a scoreless tie through regulation time and two extra periods, with Rossi making several spectacular saves. In the penalty kicks, Rossi made two saves, while the SIUE women nailed 5 of six to win 5–4 and became only the second OVC team to advance to the NCAA second round where they lost to Northwestern 1–0 at Duke.
All-Americans
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Although the Cougars' women's program has not been as successful as the men's, two players have been named All-Americans for their play at SIUE.
One Cougars player has been named to the NSCAA Women's University Division Scholar All-American Teams.