SLU Women's Soccer Thread

[OkieBilliken]

I've seen a ton of players from Power 5s on X hit the portal in the past few days.   Anyone know if we are in the market to bring some area kids back home?   Hoping we dont lose any of our young talent.   With all of the Seniors+ we are losing, hopefully this is a reload, rather than a rebuild.   

[billikenfan05]

1 hour ago, Lord Elrond said:

And that’s why it’s a red card as far as I’m concerned

 

2 hours ago, slufanskip said:

Here’s what got me on the foul and why I think red was warranted. No problem with her going in hard, in fact that’s what she should do. However, she had time to lessen the severity of the contact by turning away. She didn’t. She actually turned her shoulder into Emily doubling down on hard late contact 

I would almost call it a forearm shiver, and tossed in a stare down for good measure. Straight red, hit the showers.

[Speyburn]

46 minutes ago, OkieBilliken said:

I've seen a ton of players from Power 5s on X hit the portal in the past few days.   Anyone know if we are in the market to bring some area kids back home?   Hoping we dont lose any of our young talent.   With all of the Seniors+ we are losing, hopefully this is a reload, rather than a rebuild.   

I can see Nina Preusser leaving and is Becca Wolterman going to be a backup her whole career.

[Lord Elrond]

3 hours ago, OkieBilliken said:

I've seen a ton of players from Power 5s on X hit the portal in the past few days.   Anyone know if we are in the market to bring some area kids back home?   Hoping we dont lose any of our young talent.   With all of the Seniors+ we are losing, hopefully this is a reload, rather than a rebuild.   

Katie Shields is always looking to bring back talent that went elsewhere as a freshman, lots of examples of that, including Katie Houck, who went to Dayton her first year then came back here. Just one example of many.

Plenty of minutes available next year, many experienced players leaving, which leaves lots of starting jobs open to competition. We’ll just have to see what happens.

[courtside]

15 hours ago, Lord Elrond said:

Katie Shields is always looking to bring back talent that went elsewhere as a freshman, lots of examples of that, including Katie Houck, who went to Dayton her first year then came back here. Just one example of many.

Plenty of minutes available next year, many experienced players leaving, which leaves lots of starting jobs open to competition. We’ll just have to see what happens.

SLU has reached out to more than two dozen players in the portal from 17 states and 3 countries. Many, but not al, have no connection to St.Louis at all. Some have a connection with a player or coach. 

Katie Houck was initially an Oklahoma commit who re-opened her college recruitment due to a coaching change, before ending up at Dayton and SLU.

[courtside]

18 hours ago, OkieBilliken said:

I've seen a ton of players from Power 5s on X hit the portal in the past few days.   Anyone know if we are in the market to bring some area kids back home?   Hoping we dont lose any of our young talent.   With all of the Seniors+ we are losing, hopefully this is a reload, rather than a rebuild.   

Is SLU exploring the portal? Yes.

It is essential for every program to explore the transfer portal in today’s game to see if they add  a player or two that can help improve their team. Transfers are supplemental to 4 year recruits, and player development of current players. The other two come first. But the portal is an important supplemental part of today’s game. There are more players in the portal than ever due to the gradual transfer rule changes (and NIL) from 2018 to 2024 making it easier to do so. 

SLU has reached out to over two dozen players across 17 states and 3 countries this cycle. Most are P4 players, and less than a half dozen are from other conferences. They will get serious with a smaller percentage and they will add an even smaller percentage of that. Many don’t have a connection to St. Louis. Some previously knew a SLU coach or a player. So, while some of the previous incoming transfers had a St. Louis connection, more of the future incoming transfers will be from a much wider variety of geographies. 

Past SLU incoming transfers since 2018: Groark (Colorado) Lawler (Oklahoma State), Cytron (Tennessee), Phelps (Illinois), Houck (Dayton), Simon Louisville), Luebbert (Arkansas), Layton (Colorado State) Howard (Wisconsin), Welker (Iowa), Le (Xavier).

Just because a player enters the portal doesn’t mean that player will find a new home. That sadly happens more and more each year. Some players get bad advice or they have unrealistic expectations. The ones with good self awareness have more success in the portal. SLU does a good job finding a good fit for its outgoing players. Good advice is to try pick an initial school of high school based on more than just playing a sport there.

Another factor is the new roster limit that begins next season. 28 player rosters. All 28 are eligible for full scholarships. (Many schools won’t be anywhere near that number with $). So, you are also seeing 2025 players re-open their recruitment, scrambling, as they are a roster limit casualty at their initial school. Some find new homes fast, some don’t. I know one player that lost her spot at one P4 school, and she landed at another in the same league within a week. She knew waiting would likely hurt her chances.

SLU is recruiting grad transfers, traditional transfers, 2025 roster limit casualty players, and, they are still recruiting 2026 players too. Quality and fit over quantity. And SLU has reached out to players at every position. SLU initially had 11 commitments for 2025, but they reduced it to 10 a few months ago due to the new roster limit. Losing just 1 player due to the new limit is very low compared to other programs. Many other schools lost several players due to the new roster limit.

As far as roster construction, yes, there are players at every school that are reserve or back up players much of their college career. There’s nothing wrong with that at all. Some other players will leave to try to find more playing time elsewhere. And a few will retire from soccer altogether. Everyone has their own path. 

Recruiting is very challenging at a school like SLU for Women’s Soccer. Some of those challenges include: 

1) P4 schools. It’s a big thing in the Women’s game, much less so in the Men’s game. 

2) Elite Academic schools. SLU recruits a lot of high academic players. And the competition sometimes for those players are those schools with good, competitive soccer programs, and, elite academics. 

3) Geography. The Coasts. The South. Geographic location is a thing with some recruitments. And those geographies are popular. 

4) NIL is a big factor with a smaller, but rapidly growing number of schools. Florida State has the best NIL nationally. Others are trying to catch up.  Budgets are factors too. Penn State is among the 7 figure budget programs for example, and, they are the only school to make the past 8 straight Sweet 16’s.SLU isn’t going to match the budgets of these schools but they must remain competitive to also remain competitive on the field.

Many of the highest level local players want to go away to school for a new life experience. 2024 and 2026 had unusually high numbers of elite, sought after, local players. And SLU finished runner up often. But SLU still gets good local players and SLU adds new geographies with recruiting annually. It’s important to do so. 

Players who have left: SLU has had players not take an extra COVID year, players who retired from soccer due to injury, players retired from soccer not due to injury, players who transferred elsewhere for more playing time, players who transferred for a new life experience. SLU hasn’t yet lost a player in their undergrad years to an elite peer level program. Santa Clara for example lost its best scorer last year to Duke, something new for a powerhouse like them.

USC had Maile Hayes (2 goals against SLU) who was a Texas A&M transfer. Maria Alagoa was a Florida State transfer. Their keeper was a UPenn transfer. Their right back was a Harvard transfer. They had a high minute defender that didn’t play  v SLU that’s a Mississippi State transfer. Their back up keeper is an Arkansas transfer. Finding a few impact transfers is now part of the game. 

As for specifics. I usually don’t comment on incoming or outgoing players until their situation is finalized and everyone is good with it. And with outgoing transfers I usually don’t comment until well after the player is settled and thriving in their new situation. Leaving is stressful enough for them. But I can give you a where are they now list going back 5 years, if you want one. 

Example: I know a higher profile player that left a team during this season for philosophical differences with the staff. (not SLUWSOC) I wasn’t comfortable sharing it. That player later returned to their team and everything eventually worked out.

[Midtown Madness]

Our thoughts are clear on the Puricelli injury. Here's the clip.

https://x.com/MidtownMadPod/status/1861208327738314977

[courtside]

23 hours ago, courtside said:

Irvine, California.

USC 4 SLU 3 OT

Fun game. Tough result.

It’s a game that SLU expected to win, and, a game that SLU played well enough to win. Credit to USC, who is a great experienced team that played well. It was a later tournament matchup and feel, played in the Round of 32.

SLU has been able to elevate its level each round of the NCAA Tourney in recent years. The game was everything expected from the pregame scout and then some. (Separate follow up with that)

SLU was able to get the style of game they wanted to play with pace and pressure. USC had a few early build ups of connecting 9 passes in a row, 7, and eventually 4  on their early goal. But SLU was eventually able to ramp up pressure on the USC back 5, turn the Trojans over in the middle of the field, win 50/50 balls etc…And SLU was efficient with its scoring chances.

USC played their unique version of a 4–3-3. They started their 10 Seniors. Their only change was moving Farmer back to center back next to Courtnall, and inserting Derrien as their lone defensive midfielder. This was in part because Farmer is a more reliable defender and Derrien is better at getting forward offensively. 

SLU played its 4-2-3-1.  Unavailable: Luebbert who picked up a longer term foot injury in the A10 semifinals

The pace of Cortland and Jackson at outside forward was a handful at times. Hayes found ways to score. Sampaio can put the ball on a string at times in the midfield. Alagoa can make plays. Courtnall, Farmer, etc are solid and experienced in back blocking shots or knocking away the final pass. But SLU gave as much as they got in all phases. Pace, physicality, combo play, individual and group defending, set pieces, aerial duels, 50/50 balls. Gaebe, Larson, Kim, Sawyer, Simon, Le, Schwartz, Houck, Stram, Heckel, Schreiber, Puricelli, Karani, Howard, Brinkman. Full team effort. 

SLU was pretty efficient with its scoring opportunities. Dangerous on set pieces. Veteran players came to play in the post season all over the field. There were long stretches of 1-1 and 2-2 where SLU was close to getting a lead that would have changed the game a bit. SLU was the first team all season to score 3 on USC and only 3 teams had scored twice on them. 

The 2020 and 2021 classes at SLU will be remembered for being the most successful classes in program history.

………………

USC has already advanced to the Elite 8 with  their 3-1 win Sunday over Wisconsin. (They host Wake Forest at the Track Stadium in Carson where they played the majority of their home games this season)

SLU is ranked 22nd this week in the Top Drawer Soccer Poll.

And this will likely assure SLU another top 25 ranking in the final TDS poll. Well earned. Much of the final rankings mirror how teams finish in the NCAA Tourney. Number 1 this week is Wake Forest, who will play at number 4 USC in the Elite 8 Friday. 

Sophia Stram was named to the Honorable Mention TDS National Team of the Week for her play vs Kansas and USC.

[courtside]

 

(Some of you knew this was coming)

SLU Associate Head Coach Colleen Corbin, has accepted the Head Coaching position at Kansas State University in the Big 12 Conference.

K-State has a newer program, just 9 years old and 1 previous head coach. Mike Dibbini wasn’t able to turn the corner there, after previous success at the NAIA and D2 levels. 

https://www.kstatesports.com/news/2024/12/2/colleen-corbin-named-k-state-head-soccer-coach

[courtside]

On 11/26/2024 at 9:00 AM, courtside said:

SLU is ranked 22nd this week in the Top Drawer Soccer Poll.

And this will likely assure SLU another top 25 ranking in the final TDS poll. Well earned. Much of the final rankings mirror how teams finish in the NCAA Tourney. Number 1 this week is Wake Forest, who will play at number 4 USC in the Elite 8 Friday. 

Sophia Stram was named to the Honorable Mention TDS National Team of the Week for her play vs Kansas and USC.

SLU will remain at 22 in the TDS poll. 

SLU opponents: USC is 5th. Penn State is 6th. Those 2 teams were the only 2 non ACC teams in the Elite 8. 
Penn State took UNC to OT before losing on a controversial goal. 

Wake Forest edged USC 2-2 (4-3 PK’s) in the Elite 8. Pretty even first half, with a slight edge to Wake Forest with chance quality. it was mostly heavy USC pressure in the 2nd half. The Trojans had the better run of play overall. But they couldn’t tack on a 3rd or 4th goal to extend the lead. Wake’s back line made several recoveries after initially losing a step on plays. Wake Forest tied the game on a hustle play with 10 minutes left. And they won the PK’s 4-3 after the 2-2 2OT game. Both USC goals were created by the speed of Colbert and Jackson wide. 

Two, very good, older teams that have had big seasons. 19 Seniors for Wake Forest. 16 have been there all 4 years. 13 Seniors on USC. 

Final Four: 

Stanford vs Wake Forest, and Duke vs North Carolina.

[Pistol]

Per Stu, Becca Wolterman, Ulla Sharp, and Addy Lang are in the transfer portal.

[Lord Elrond]

1 minute ago, Pistol said:

Per Stu, Becca Wolterman, Ulla Sharp, and Addy Lang are in the transfer portal.

The goalkeeper situation is exactly what happened when Emily Puricelli took over as head goalie her freshman year. The other experienced keeper on the roster, Kasey Hartmann, went into the portal, and SLU ended up with only 1 goalkeeper on the roster. The solution was to dip into the transfer portal and pick up Natalie Phelps from Illinois. That next season there were only 2 goalkeepers on the roster. Fortunately no injuries to either goalie, but had there been we would have been in a world of hurt. 
 

Still, we can pick up a goalie from the portal too, the problem is everyone can see that Katie Shields uses 1 goalie, and the backup only sees minutes if SLU is comfortably ahead. We’re not going to attract another top starting quality player. We’re have to hope that Nimu Karani is as good as we thought and doesn’t get injured.

[billikenfan05]

6 minutes ago, Lord Elrond said:

The goalkeeper situation is exactly what happened when Emily Puricelli took over as head goalie her freshman year. The other experienced keeper on the roster, Kasey Hartmann, went into the portal, and SLU ended up with only 1 goalkeeper on the roster. The solution was to dip into the transfer portal and pick up Natalie Phelps from Illinois. That next season there were only 2 goalkeepers on the roster. Fortunately no injuries to either goalie, but had there been we would have been in a world of hurt. 
 

Still, we can pick up a goalie from the portal too, the problem is everyone can see that Katie Shields uses 1 goalie, and the backup only sees minutes if SLU is comfortably ahead. We’re not going to attract another top starting quality player. We’re have to hope that Nimu Karani is as good as we thought and doesn’t get injured.

I have no recollection of Kasey Hartman or Natalie Phelps. I feel this is a testament to Puricelli. As much as Gaebe and Heckel got the headlines, Puricellis is Billiken Soccer.

[Lord Elrond]

1 hour ago, billikenfan05 said:

I have no recollection of Kasey Hartman or Natalie Phelps. I feel this is a testament to Puricelli. As much as Gaebe and Heckel got the headlines, Puricellis is Billiken Soccer.

It did work out with Puricelli. We are repeating that with Nimu Karani, two new starting center backs (Stram and Henkel) a new starting right back (Houck) and needing to replace our most experienced defensive midfielder (Elise Le). Going to be a huge challenge, but Katie Shields did it before.

[courtside]

On 12/4/2024 at 9:18 PM, Lord Elrond said:

The goalkeeper situation is exactly what happened when Emily Puricelli took over as head goalie her freshman year. The other experienced keeper on the roster, Kasey Hartmann, went into the portal, and SLU ended up with only 1 goalkeeper on the roster. The solution was to dip into the transfer portal and pick up Natalie Phelps from Illinois. That next season there were only 2 goalkeepers on the roster. Fortunately no injuries to either goalie, but had there been we would have been in a world of hurt. 
 

Still, we can pick up a goalie from the portal too, the problem is everyone can see that Katie Shields uses 1 goalie, and the backup only sees minutes if SLU is comfortably ahead. We’re not going to attract another top starting quality player. We’re have to hope that Nimu Karani is as good as we thought and doesn’t get injured.

If you are seeking more information about some of these topics, feel free to ask. 

SLU recruits goalkeepers every 4 year recruiting cycle, as well as twice a year transfer cycles. Some are superstar national keepers. Some are under the radar. Some are in between. 

Idealistically SLU would like to have 3 goalkeepers annually. They often have this number. They have even had 4 a few times. Unique circumstances made the number 2 a few times including unexpectedly losing a keeper from Spring to Fall once

Kasey Hartmann transferred when she did, in part, because it was the first year players could transfer without having to sit out a year. 

Katie Shields does not have a policy of playing only 1 goalkeeper. SLU is not having trouble recruiting goalkeepers because they play only 1 goalkeeper. The biggest challenge with recruiting is not being a P4 school.

SLU has an incoming 2025 goalkeeper (Kate Lewis) that has been committed to the program since September of 2023. 

SLU has targeted 3 goalkeepers in this current transfer portal cycle. A few other goalkeepers have targeted SLU. (Those things can be explained later) SLU also targeted a transfer keeper this past Spring. (She’s USC’s back up keeper) The current goal is to add 1 keeper in the Fall or Spring, for a total of 3. (2 are from Minnesota and South Carolina, the geographies not the schools. One is local.)

Offer types also vary amongst goalkeepers. Some high profile targets aren’t getting the same offers as others. There are goalkeepers currently playing for Michigan State, Texas, Virginia, etc elsewhere that were once targeted by SLU.

SLU targeted 4 additional local goalkeepers in the past few years alone let alone regional and national keepers. (Arkansas, Indiana, Stanford, UPenn,) Interest varied both ways.

Sometimes the keeper has no interest in SLU. Sometimes they gave high interest. Sometimes SLU has high interest. Sometimes SLU has lukewarm interest. 

In the 2026 class, SLU targeted goalkeepers that committed to Georgia, Kansas, Penn State, Pittsburgh, TCU, Washington, West Virginia. Again, some had zero interest in SLU, some had high interest. A few, SLU was runner up. 

As some people may know, I don’t specifically discuss outgoing SLU transfers until long after they are settled elsewhere. (happy to provide that info, including 1 who transferred a 2nd time this cycle) The SLU players mentioned haven’t even spoken publicly about their situations. Few players enter a situation wanting to leave and having to start over elsewhere. Also keep in mind some players enter the portal, knowing they are less likely to land elsewhere. Some simply retire from their sport.

An additional thing is that SLU expanded its roster numbers in recent years, as did some other schools. That is no longer an option with the new roster limit. So there are teams that have had to cut many players due to the new roster limits.

Not having to sit out a year (2021) also means more players, including goalkeepers, will transfer. And now with unlimited transfers available, that means some players will transfer more often too. Many 1st and 2nd year keepers have to wait their turn for playing time, just like any other position. Every  team has players on it at every position, that are going to play very little in their career. It’s part of playing a team sport. There’s nothing wrong with that. Some others will transfer or retire. There’s nothing wrong with those as choices as well.

In the portal, SLU has reached out to a few 1 year highly experienced grad transfers, along with some younger transfer players at every position. Some played high minutes elsewhere. Some did not. Some are on the rise mid  major players. Some are P4. There is also a Spring transfer portal. SLU has added players in both. 

[slufanskip]

On 12/4/2024 at 9:18 PM, Lord Elrond said:

The goalkeeper situation is exactly what happened when Emily Puricelli took over as head goalie her freshman year. The other experienced keeper on the roster, Kasey Hartmann, went into the portal, and SLU ended up with only 1 goalkeeper on the roster. The solution was to dip into the transfer portal and pick up Natalie Phelps from Illinois. That next season there were only 2 goalkeepers on the roster. Fortunately no injuries to either goalie, but had there been we would have been in a world of hurt. 
 

Still, we can pick up a goalie from the portal too, the problem is everyone can see that Katie Shields uses 1 goalie, and the backup only sees minutes if SLU is comfortably ahead. We’re not going to attract another top starting quality player. We’re have to hope that Nimu Karani is as good as we thought and doesn’t get injured.

Most schools/teams play 1 keeper. 

[courtside]

 

SLU has a transfer commitment from Emma Parker, a 2024 goalkeeper from the University of Arkansas.

Emma emerged as the number 2 (out of 4) keeper on a team that was ranked number 1 in the country at times this season. She played in 4 games. Arkansas was a Sweet 16 team this season that lost to Stanford in PK’s, after a 1-1 2OT game. 

Emma played club soccer primarily for the SLSG 05 team with fellow Billikens Jordan Gary, Autumn Jackson, and Lucie Schwartz. They were 4 time qualifiers for the ECNL Champions League Playoffs. Emma also played her final season with the 06 SLSG team that was 2 time ECNL National Champions. On the SLSG 06 team,  she played with Billiken Audrey Smith and future Billiken Ava Rademeyer. Emma played one season of high school soccer before playing Spring Soccer for the SLSG Super Cup team that included few additional incoming Billikens.

A 6’1, multi sport athlete, Emma played volleyball, and, she ran track while at Eureka High School. She was a State track qualifier in the 100 and 200 meters. Emma was also a 4 time All State high school golfer. 

SLU now has 3 goalkeepers for their 2025 roster, which is a typical amount.

[courtside]

19 hours ago, courtside said:

 

SLU has a transfer commitment from Emma Parker, a 2024 goalkeeper from the University of Arkansas.

Emma emerged as the number 2 (out of 4) keeper on a team that was ranked number 1 in the country at times this season. She played in 4 games. Arkansas was a Sweet 16 team this season that lost to Stanford in PK’s, after a 1-1 2OT game. 

Emma played club soccer primarily for the SLSG 05 team with fellow Billikens Jordan Gary, Autumn Jackson, and Lucie Schwartz. They were 4 time qualifiers for the ECNL Champions League Playoffs. Emma also played her final season with the 06 SLSG team that was 2 time ECNL National Champions. On the SLSG 06 team,  she played with Billiken Audrey Smith and future Billiken Ava Rademeyer. Emma played one season of high school soccer before playing Spring Soccer for the SLSG Super Cup team that included few additional incoming Billikens.

A 6’1, multi sport athlete, Emma played volleyball, and, she ran track while at Eureka High School. She was a State track qualifier in the 100 and 200 meters. Emma was also a 4 time All State high school golfer. 

SLU now has 3 goalkeepers for their 2025 roster, which is a typical amount.

https://x.com/1emmaparker/status/1866257522018898052?s=46