SIUE Homecoming Weekend Delivers Comebacks, Goals and an Unforgettable Crowd
Homecoming Weekend at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville brought plenty of excitement to Cougar athletics.
From a dramatic volleyball comeback to a dominant women’s soccer victory and an electric men’s soccer win in front of one of the largest crowds in recent SIUE history, the weekend gave Cougar fans plenty to celebrate.
Volleyball: From a Tough Loss to a Dramatic Comeback
SIUE volleyball opened Ohio Valley Conference play Friday night against UT Martin at First Community Arena. The Cougars entered the weekend looking to start conference play on a strong note, but the Skyhawks had other plans.
UT Martin swept SIUE 3-0, winning 25-20, 28-26 and 32-30.
Despite the sweep, the match was much closer than the final score indicated. The Cougars battled throughout all three sets, with the final two going into extra points. The third set was particularly dramatic, with the teams trading points deep into the set before UT Martin finally closed it out 32-30. The match featured 28 ties and 13 lead changes.
SIUE head coach Kendall Paulus said the team showed plenty of fight despite the result.
“If you're going to lose in three, you want it to be back and forth,” Paulus said. “You want it to go more than 25 points. You want it to be a back-and-forth battle to show some fight.”
Paulus also pointed to UT Martin's floor defense as one of the biggest challenges. The Skyhawks repeatedly kept rallies alive, forcing the Cougars to find ways to finish points.
The Cougars got another chance the following afternoon.
And this time, they made the most of it.
SIUE came back from a two-set deficit Saturday to defeat UT Martin 3-2. The Skyhawks took the first two sets 25-17 and 25-18, but SIUE responded by winning the next three 25-23, 25-23 and 15-10.
The fifth set was another battle. UT Martin jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but SIUE quickly fought back. The Cougars eventually took their first lead of the set at 7-6 before pulling away late.
Kennedy Pike led SIUE with a career-high 15 kills, while Sophie Robinson added nine. Karli Mann and Vienna Elliott each recorded seven kills.
For Paulus, the difference was the team's ability to maintain its energy and defensive pressure.
“I really felt the fight from them today,” Paulus said.
She also credited the team's bench for helping create that energy.
“When the bench gets going, it reiterates that belief,” Paulus said. “We're going to lose points, you know? But we just can't feel like every point is going to bring us down. We've got to keep that energy up.”
The comeback gave SIUE its first OVC victory of the season and allowed the Cougars to split the opening conference series with UT Martin.
Women's Soccer: Cougars Open OVC Play With a Statement
The SIUE women's soccer team continued Homecoming Weekend on Sunday afternoon at Ralph Korte Stadium, opening its OVC schedule against Eastern Illinois.
The Cougars entered conference play following a difficult nonconference finish, including a 6-1 loss to Missouri State on Sept. 20. Eastern Illinois presented another challenge, entering the match with a 2-4-3 record. SIUE's conference opener was also part of the university's 66ers, Alumni Day and Girl Scouts Day celebrations.
But once the match began, the Cougars responded in a big way.
SIUE defeated Eastern Illinois 4-2 to begin OVC play 1-0.
The Panthers provided a tough test, but the Cougars' four-goal performance gave them a strong start to the conference portion of the season.
The victory was especially significant coming off the end of nonconference play. SIUE entered the season with several competitive results, including ties against Valparaiso, IU Indy and Indiana State, before dropping its final two nonconference matches.
Opening conference play with a four-goal performance gave the Cougars an important opportunity to reset and start the OVC season on their own terms.
Men's Soccer: A Homecoming Night to Remember
If there was one event that captured the feeling of Homecoming Weekend, it was the men's soccer match Saturday night.
SIUE hosted Southern Indiana at Ralph Korte Stadium in the annual Homecoming game, and the atmosphere was unlike anything I have experienced at SIUE.
The official attendance was 2,766, one of the largest crowds SIUE men's soccer has played in front of.
And the Cougars gave that crowd plenty to celebrate.
SIUE defeated Southern Indiana 3-1 in the OVC opener for both teams, improving to 3-4-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
The Cougars wasted almost no time getting on the scoreboard.
Just 1:48 into the match, Ryley Gibbs scored off an assist from Dominic Bartoni to give SIUE an early 1-0 lead.
Southern Indiana answered in the 26th minute when Edin Cvorovic tied the match at 1-1.
The Cougars then came out of halftime and immediately regained the lead.
Just 1:18 into the second half, Bartoni converted a penalty kick to put SIUE ahead 2-1. The penalty came after a sequence that also resulted in a yellow card for Southern Indiana's Christian Rotundo.
Then came one of the biggest moments of the night.
Just 1:48 after Bartoni's penalty, Southern Indiana's Bryce Siegel was shown a red card, leaving the Screaming Eagles with 10 players for the remainder of the match. The official play-by-play lists the red card at 48:06.
From the SIUE perspective, the incident began with Bartoni going into a 50-50 challenge. According to head coach Cale Wassermann, Bartoni and the Southern Indiana player made contact, but the situation escalated when the USI player pushed Bartoni.
“It all happened so fast,” Wassermann said. “Don Bartoni, who, you know, he kind of went 50-50 and bumped into the kid. It was pretty clear that the kid was going to probably get a red card the way he pushed.”
The red card immediately changed the dynamics of the match. SIUE had a numerical advantage, while the Cougars' lead and the energy from the home crowd continued to build.
The match remained physical, with SIUE eventually finishing with 22 fouls to Southern Indiana's eight.
Still, the Cougars stayed in control.
With just under five minutes remaining, Ben Perkins put the finishing touch on the victory. Perkins, who had missed approximately four matches with an injury, returned to the field and scored in the 86th minute off an assist from Juan Rodas.
For Wassermann, seeing Perkins return and score the goal that essentially sealed the match made the moment even more meaningful.
“Ben Perkins, he's been out for about the last four games or so injured,” Wassermann said. “So it's great to get him back on the field and basically putting that game on ice a little bit with that third goal.”
The Cougars also received a major boost from the crowd.
Wassermann said the support from the students, community and SIUE staff made the night special.
“First and foremost, I want to thank the student population, the community, our staff, everybody that was out here tonight celebrating the 66ers in front of a great crowd, home result,” Wassermann said.
He specifically noticed the reaction when SIUE scored its second and third goals.
“It was great to hear the celebrations when the second and third goal went in especially,” he said.
The crowd was also deafening after the red card, creating one of the loudest moments of the night.
For me, though, the importance of the night went beyond the final score.
I have attended events with crowds of more than 20,000 people, and there is something incredible about being surrounded by that many people. But there was something different about seeing 2,766 people packed into Korte Stadium to support SIUE men's soccer.
Soccer was the reason I fell in love with sports in the first place. Because of that, seeing so many people come together to support the program meant a lot to me.
The crowd was loud. It was energetic. It was invested in every moment.
And when the final whistle sounded after a 3-1 SIUE victory, it felt like the perfect ending to Homecoming Saturday.
For Wassermann and the Cougars, it was more than just a conference-opening victory.
It was a chance to show what SIUE men's soccer can look like when the community gets behind it.
“It was great to hear the celebrations when the second and third goal went in especially,” Wassermann said.
That was certainly true.
The 2,766 people inside Korte Stadium made sure the Cougars knew they were not celebrating alone.
And after a weekend filled with comebacks, goals and memorable moments, SIUE athletics gave Homecoming Weekend a fitting conclusion.