Thursday, August 28
USAFA, CO
7:00 PM MT
Air Force Academy
vs
SIU-Edwardsville
Men's Soccer Host SIU-Edwardsville in Home Opener
8/27/2025 11:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
MATCH 03
Air Force (0-2) vs. SIU-Edwardsville (0-1)
7pm MT, Thursday, August 28
Cadet Soccer Stadium – USAF Academy, Colo.
Air Force opens Cadet Soccer Stadium for the first time in 2025 as the Falcons take on its third-straight Illinois-based team in SIU-Edwardsville.
INSTALLATION ACCESS PROCEDURES
Access procedures at the U.S. Air Force Academy continue to affect athletic events. While the installation remains open, anyone without a DoD ID card must obtain a visitor pass to enter the base.
New this year: Passes will now be issued monthly instead of requiring a separate submission for each event. This means ticket holders only need to complete the form once per month to gain access to all events during that time. Ticket holders can request a base pass using the link provided below.
After registering, you will receive a message on our phone to present at the gate when entering the Academy. Fans must also present their game tickets at each venue. All tickets and credentialed attendees can enter through the North or South gate. North gate is recommended for access to athletic fields; while fans are encouraged to use the North and South gates for football games.
Note: When completing the information from the link, please use the information directly from your driver's license (Robert vs. Bob). Your ID must also be REAL ID compliant. Anyone under 18 will not be required to do a QR code.
Intercollegiate Athletics Access Link, Aug. 1-31, Click HERE.
(Includes all intercollegiate events in August, except football)
A LOOK AT THE COUGARS
SIUE will take the pitch under the command of head coach Cale Wasserman in his seventh season, following back-to-back seasons of overwhelming success. Last season, Wassermann moved into third all-time in wins at SIUE and has a record of 52-35-15 (.584) in his time in Edwardsville. In two seasons since the OVC began men's soccer, the Cougars have just one loss to Conference opponents and sport a 17-1-2 record in regular season games and a 4-0 mark in the OVC Tournament. Wasserman was lauded as the OVC Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year.
SIUE has had the Goalkeeper of the Year in each of the first two years of OVC men's soccer. In 2023 Sam Gomez won the award. Rob Gjelaj earned the honors in 2024. Freshman Noah Scheidweiler is projected to make most of the starts in goal in 2025. The Cougars will take to the pitch coming off a 2-1 loss to Florida Gulf Coast. Carles Zomeno was credited with the strike.
THE SERIES WITH SIUE
The Cougars remain undefeated in the 11-match series, winning nine contests while tying twice. The last time the teams played was in 2021 where SIUE won in overtime, 3-2, in Edwardsville. Prior to 2021, the teams played mostly in the 1980s with the Cougars winning eight games between 1974 to 1989. The last time SIUE played at USAFA was in 1989.
LAST TIME OUT
Air Force dropped a pair of road matches on opening weekend, falling to UIC, 3-1, and Northwestern, 2-1, on Thursday and Sunday, respectively. Air Force C3C Marcos Goni tallied a strike against UIC with help from C3C Attila Toth, and C4C Quinn Muderlack were credited with the strike against NU with an assist from C3C Oliver Becker. C3C goalie, Brody Smith, made eight saves at UIC and five more at NU, facing 47 shots on the weekend (19 SOG).
NEXT UP
The Falcons to Riverside, California, for a Labor Day matchup against UC Riverside. Action at UCR Soccer Stadium is slated for a 7:15pm PT start on Monday, September 1. AF returns home for the second match of the week, hosting Cal Poly on Friday, September 5. Action at Cadet Soccer Stadium kicks off at 7pm MT.
AROUND THE WAC
GREAT RETURNS FROM THE SEASON'S OPENING WEEK
After the first week back on the pitch to kick off the 2025 regular season, WAC teams enjoyed collective success with a combined 10-3-2 (.733) record in nonconference play. California Baptist, Grand Canyon, San José State and Utah Valley each opened the new season 2-0, while UNLV was victorious in its first start and Utah Tech earned two hard fought draws. San José State was also among the teams receiving votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches Division I poll.
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
A pair of dynamic attackers took the WAC by storm during the first weekend of 2025. Freshmen Liam Jones from California Baptist and Junior Diouf from Grand Canyon lit up the scoreboard for their respective teams during unbeaten starts. Each player tallied three goals and one assist over two match appearances, registering one match-winner apiece to share WAC Offensive Player of the Week on Aug. 26.
POGUE, UTAH VALLEY DEFENSE SHUTS DOWN OPPONENTS IN IMPRESSIVE CLEAN SHEETS
Utah Valley redshirt junior defender Noah Pogue captured WAC Defensive Player of the Week accolades on Aug. 26 after helping anchor a Wolverine backline that yielded just three combined shots on goal over two 4-0 shutouts against CSU Bakersfield and Gonzaga. Pogue added to the sensational week by scoring the first goal in the newly constructed UCCU Stadium in the CSU Bakersfield match and adding an assist during the Gonzaga contest.
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
WAC teams fashioned a 5-1 record in one-goal matches during the season's opening week, with multiple winning goals being scored in the waning minutes of the victory. Along with the Junior Diouf goal for Grand Canyon in the final 20 seconds against Jacksonville, San José State's Arnold Matshazi beat the buzzer with a goal with seven seconds remaining to down Saint Mary's (Calif.) 2-1 on Aug. 24. Tyler Ware capped a UNLV comeback in the season opener with an 80th minute goal to lift the Rebels to a 2-1 win over LMU on Aug. 21.
HOME IS WHERE THE RESULTS ARE
The friendly confines of home paid off for teams in the WAC during the first week of the regular season, with conference sides posting an unbeaten 6-0-1 record in true home starts. Grand Canyon was the only WAC team to host two home matches during the season's opening weekend.
Air Force (0-2) vs. SIU-Edwardsville (0-1)
7pm MT, Thursday, August 28
Cadet Soccer Stadium – USAF Academy, Colo.
Air Force opens Cadet Soccer Stadium for the first time in 2025 as the Falcons take on its third-straight Illinois-based team in SIU-Edwardsville.
INSTALLATION ACCESS PROCEDURES
Access procedures at the U.S. Air Force Academy continue to affect athletic events. While the installation remains open, anyone without a DoD ID card must obtain a visitor pass to enter the base.
New this year: Passes will now be issued monthly instead of requiring a separate submission for each event. This means ticket holders only need to complete the form once per month to gain access to all events during that time. Ticket holders can request a base pass using the link provided below.
After registering, you will receive a message on our phone to present at the gate when entering the Academy. Fans must also present their game tickets at each venue. All tickets and credentialed attendees can enter through the North or South gate. North gate is recommended for access to athletic fields; while fans are encouraged to use the North and South gates for football games.
Note: When completing the information from the link, please use the information directly from your driver's license (Robert vs. Bob). Your ID must also be REAL ID compliant. Anyone under 18 will not be required to do a QR code.
Intercollegiate Athletics Access Link, Aug. 1-31, Click HERE.
(Includes all intercollegiate events in August, except football)
A LOOK AT THE COUGARS
SIUE will take the pitch under the command of head coach Cale Wasserman in his seventh season, following back-to-back seasons of overwhelming success. Last season, Wassermann moved into third all-time in wins at SIUE and has a record of 52-35-15 (.584) in his time in Edwardsville. In two seasons since the OVC began men's soccer, the Cougars have just one loss to Conference opponents and sport a 17-1-2 record in regular season games and a 4-0 mark in the OVC Tournament. Wasserman was lauded as the OVC Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year.
SIUE has had the Goalkeeper of the Year in each of the first two years of OVC men's soccer. In 2023 Sam Gomez won the award. Rob Gjelaj earned the honors in 2024. Freshman Noah Scheidweiler is projected to make most of the starts in goal in 2025. The Cougars will take to the pitch coming off a 2-1 loss to Florida Gulf Coast. Carles Zomeno was credited with the strike.
THE SERIES WITH SIUE
The Cougars remain undefeated in the 11-match series, winning nine contests while tying twice. The last time the teams played was in 2021 where SIUE won in overtime, 3-2, in Edwardsville. Prior to 2021, the teams played mostly in the 1980s with the Cougars winning eight games between 1974 to 1989. The last time SIUE played at USAFA was in 1989.
LAST TIME OUT
Air Force dropped a pair of road matches on opening weekend, falling to UIC, 3-1, and Northwestern, 2-1, on Thursday and Sunday, respectively. Air Force C3C Marcos Goni tallied a strike against UIC with help from C3C Attila Toth, and C4C Quinn Muderlack were credited with the strike against NU with an assist from C3C Oliver Becker. C3C goalie, Brody Smith, made eight saves at UIC and five more at NU, facing 47 shots on the weekend (19 SOG).
NEXT UP
The Falcons to Riverside, California, for a Labor Day matchup against UC Riverside. Action at UCR Soccer Stadium is slated for a 7:15pm PT start on Monday, September 1. AF returns home for the second match of the week, hosting Cal Poly on Friday, September 5. Action at Cadet Soccer Stadium kicks off at 7pm MT.
AROUND THE WAC
GREAT RETURNS FROM THE SEASON'S OPENING WEEK
After the first week back on the pitch to kick off the 2025 regular season, WAC teams enjoyed collective success with a combined 10-3-2 (.733) record in nonconference play. California Baptist, Grand Canyon, San José State and Utah Valley each opened the new season 2-0, while UNLV was victorious in its first start and Utah Tech earned two hard fought draws. San José State was also among the teams receiving votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches Division I poll.
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
A pair of dynamic attackers took the WAC by storm during the first weekend of 2025. Freshmen Liam Jones from California Baptist and Junior Diouf from Grand Canyon lit up the scoreboard for their respective teams during unbeaten starts. Each player tallied three goals and one assist over two match appearances, registering one match-winner apiece to share WAC Offensive Player of the Week on Aug. 26.
POGUE, UTAH VALLEY DEFENSE SHUTS DOWN OPPONENTS IN IMPRESSIVE CLEAN SHEETS
Utah Valley redshirt junior defender Noah Pogue captured WAC Defensive Player of the Week accolades on Aug. 26 after helping anchor a Wolverine backline that yielded just three combined shots on goal over two 4-0 shutouts against CSU Bakersfield and Gonzaga. Pogue added to the sensational week by scoring the first goal in the newly constructed UCCU Stadium in the CSU Bakersfield match and adding an assist during the Gonzaga contest.
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
WAC teams fashioned a 5-1 record in one-goal matches during the season's opening week, with multiple winning goals being scored in the waning minutes of the victory. Along with the Junior Diouf goal for Grand Canyon in the final 20 seconds against Jacksonville, San José State's Arnold Matshazi beat the buzzer with a goal with seven seconds remaining to down Saint Mary's (Calif.) 2-1 on Aug. 24. Tyler Ware capped a UNLV comeback in the season opener with an 80th minute goal to lift the Rebels to a 2-1 win over LMU on Aug. 21.
HOME IS WHERE THE RESULTS ARE
The friendly confines of home paid off for teams in the WAC during the first week of the regular season, with conference sides posting an unbeaten 6-0-1 record in true home starts. Grand Canyon was the only WAC team to host two home matches during the season's opening weekend.
Players Mentioned
M
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's Soccer
F
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