• OVC Men's Soccer Report - Final (PDF)
Highlights From Around the League: SIUE won a pair of matches on its home field to win the inaugural OVC Tournament Championship ... SIUE played at Memphis in the First Round of the 2023 NCAA Championship, falling 2-1 to the Tigers ... Overall SIUE has now made 24 NCAA Tournament appearances, including 16 at the Division I level, three of those coming after the team returned to the Division I level in 2008 (2014, 2016, 2023) ... The team had its first undefeated regular season since 1972 (when it won the College Division National Championship) ... SIUE was 9-0-1 during OVC play this season, winning the regular season title which was the first regular season crown for the program since 2015 ... Five OVC soccer players were named All-Region after the season ... In NCAA rankings, SIUE ranked first nationally in shot accuracy (52.8%), second in save percentage (84.8%) and goals against average (0.600), fifth in goal differential (+33) and shots on goal/game (7.15), ninth in points/game (6.75) and shutout percentage (50.0%), 10th in scoring offense (2.25 goals/game) and 11th in assists/game (2.25) ... Liberty ranked 13th nationally in corner kicks/game (6.72), 17th in shots on goal/game (6.39) and 22nd in scoring offense (1.94 goals/game) ... Individually, SIUE's Sam Gomez ranked fifth nationally in shutouts (10), sixth in goals against averaged (0.611) and save percentage (84.4%) and 16th in goalie minutes played (1766:41) ... UIW's Sello Diphoko ranked 10th nationally in game-winning goals (5), SIUE's Nacho Abeal was 12th in shot accuracy (57.5%), EIU's Chad Smith was 16th in save percentage (80.0%), HCU's Alex Aitken was 18th in total saves (71).
Five Named All-Region: Five OVC men's soccer players were named All-Region by the United Soccer Coaches (USC). The selections included four SIUE players and one Liberty player. SIUE had a first-team selection in defender
Will Harris, two second-team selections in midfielder
Sam Layton, forward
Stephan Moreira and a third-team selection in goalkeeper
Sam Gomez. Liberty's second-team selection was midfielder
Gabe Findley.
SIUE Wins OVC Tournament Crown: SIUE topped Lindenwood (2-0) and UIW (1-0) to win the inaugural OVC Tournament Championship. As the No. 1 seed the Cougars received a bye to the semifinals and then won its two games. Nacho Abeal was named Tournament MVP after scoring all three of the Cougars goals.
SIUE Wins Regular Season Championship: SIUE claimed the inaugural OVC Regular Season Championship, finishing the year with a 9-0-1 record. It is the first Conference title for the Cougars program since 2015 (Missouri Valley).
SIUE in the NCAA Tournament: SIUE appeared in its third NCAA Division I Tournament since its return to Division I in 2008. The Cougars were also in the event in 2014 and 2016. In 2016 the Cougars topped Michigan State and Butler in PK's to advance to the Sweet 16 where they lost to Wake Forest. Overall this year marked the 24th NCAA Tournament appearance for the program, 16 at the Division I level (including 1969-82 before moving to the College/Division II level). That included winning the 1972 National Championship. Overall SIUE is 20-15-2 as a Division I team in the NCAA Tournament and were 11-5-2 at the Division II/College level.
SIUE Ranked During the Season in United Soccer Coaches Poll: After a 3-0 start to the season, SIUE appeared in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll on September 5, coming in at No. 18. It was the first time the Cougars had been ranked since the spring 2021 season. After a draw the next week, the team slipped to "others receiving votes." The program got back into the Top 25 on Oct. 31, coming in at No. 25 following the conclusion of the regular season. SIUE was No. 24 during the OVC Tournament but fell out of the final poll after its NCAA Tournament loss.
SIUE Coaches Named North Region Coaching Staff of the Year: SIUE men's soccer Head Coach
Cale Wassermann and his staff were recognized by the United Soccer Coaches as the North Region Coaching Staff of the Year. Wassermann, in his fifth season as the Cougars' Head Coach, and assistants Jordan Grant and Jaxsen Wirth led SIUE to an undefeated regular season, an Ohio Valley Conference regular season and Tournament Championships.
Southern Indiana Earns OVC Team Sportsmanship Award for Men's Soccer: Southern Indiana was the recipient of the 2023-24 Team Sportsmanship Award for men's soccer. Voted on by the student-athletes and coaches of the respective sports, the team awards are bestowed upon the Conference squads deemed to have best exhibited the standards of sportsmanship and ethical behavior as outlined by the OVC and NCAA. Included in the areas for evaluation are the conduct of student-athletes, coaches, staff and administrators and fans. The 2023-24 school year marks the 19th year the team sportsmanship honors have been awarded. This year was the inaugural year of men's soccer in the OVC.
All Teams Eligible for OVC Tournament: Both reclassifying teams, Lindenwood and Southern Indiana, are eligible to compete and win the OVC Tournament Championship this season. Should a transitioning school win an OVC Tournament Championship, the AQ shall be awarded to the tournament runner-up. Should the tournament runner-up also be a transitioning school, the AQ representative shall be the third-place team (where the third-placed team cannot be determined, the AQ shall be the semifinal team that had the highest remaining seed going into the tournament).
Liberty Picked as 2023 OVC Preseason Favorite: Liberty University was picked as the preseason favorite in the inaugural season of Ohio Valley Conference men’s soccer in a vote of coaches and communications directors. The Flames picked up eight of the 16 first-place votes to tally 88 points, which was two points ahead of SIUE (who picked up four first-place votes). Houston Christian (HCU) picked up the other four first-place votes to tally 81 points in being picked third. Lindenwood was picked fourth (62) and followed by UIW (53), Southern Indiana (29), Eastern Illinois (25) and Chicago State (24).
Inaugural Season of OVC Men's Soccer: This year marks the inaugural season of OVC men's soccer. It was announced as the conference’s 19th-sponsored sport in March 2023. Four OVC institutions currently field men’s soccer teams: Eastern Illinois, Lindenwood, SIUE and Southern Indiana. In addition, Chicago State, Houston Christian (HCU), Incarnate Word (UIW) and Liberty are affiliate members, giving the OVC eight men’s soccer programs for 2023. Western Illinois, who joined the OVC in other sports on July 1, 2023, is competing one final year in the Summit League and will be in the OVC in men's soccer in 2024.
ESPN+: This year marks the sixth of the OVC’s media rights deal with ESPN to air games on ESPN+, the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company Direct-to-Consumer & International segment. This season over 200 men’s and women’s basketball regular season Conference games and non-conference games will be streamed on ESPN+. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for $10.99 a month (or $109.99 per year) or as part of a bundle with Disney+ and ad-supported Hulu ($15.99/month). ESPN+ is an integrated part of the ESPN App (on mobile and connected devices). More information can be found at
www.OVCSports.com/ESPN.