CONWAY, Ark. – Stephen Moreira netted the first goal of his Cougar career late in the second half to lift the Cougars over Central Arkansas 2-1 in the season opener for both teams.
The Cougars have now won three straight in the series with Central Arkansas and are unbeaten in the last 11 consecutive games against the Bears (9-0-2).
“This was a tough trip against a tough opponent,” SIUE Head Coach Cale Wassermann said. “We got off to a really good start.”
Moreira’s goal came in the 78th minute to snap a 1-1 tie. Moreira took a pass into the box from Ignacio Abeal Pou, turned and took a shot through traffic, connecting low and to the right of the goal.
“Steph had a couple of high-end moments tonight,” Wassermann added.
SIUE grabbed the lead just over 13 minutes into the game and the same two players made it happen. Moreira sent a cross into the box, which was knocked down by a UCA defender, who was whistled for handball. The Cougars were awarded a penalty.
Pou then buried the kick to put SIUE up 1-0, a lead they carried into halftime.
The teams had to sit for an extra 10 minutes at half when a light standard failed.
“When we came out, we came out sharp,” Wassermann said. “We lost our way a bit and found ourselves tied, but we made some adjustments.
Central Arkansas equalizer, Cougars break tie
Central Arkansas tied the game in the 62nd minute on a goal from Pietro Fontana.
“Bobby Pauly, Wes Gibson, Connor Gramke, and Alsadia Hasan gave us a boost off the bench,” Wassermann added.
Central Arkansas outshot SIUE 12-10, including a 5-4 advantage in shots on goal. Sam Gomez made four saves in goal in the win.
“We are where I expected us to be at this point,” Wassermann said. “Not all the way there, but we were sharp enough, tough enough and together enough to get it done.”
The Cougars return to Edwardsville to open the home season Sunday when Butler comes to town for a 7 p.m. game.
Box score
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| SIUE | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Central Ark. | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Team statistics
| Game Stats | SIU | UCA |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 2 | 1 |
| Shots | 10 | 12 |
| Shots on Goal | 4 | 5 |
| Saves | 4 | 2 |
| Corners | 4 | 4 |
| Offsides | 0 | 2 |
| Fouls | 11 | 13 |
| 13:41 | |
|---|---|
 | Ignacio Abeal Pou SIU Ignacio Abeal Pou PENALTY KICK GOAL. |
| 61:49 | |
 | Pietro Fontana (1) Assisted By: Devonte Richards , Jerry Gutierrez GOAL by UCA Fontana, Pietro Assist by Richards, Devonte and Gutierrez, Jerry. |
| 77:44 | |
| Stephan Moreira (1) Assisted By: Ignacio Abeal Pou GOAL by SIU Moreira, Stephan Assist by Abeal Pou, Ignacio. |
Joe Pott has been the "Voice of the Cougars" since 2008. The native of St. Louis, Missouri, oversees all communications and broadcasting operations for SIUE athletics.
He is the radio voice of Cougar men's basketball and baseball on 88.7 the Sound, all home broadcasts on ESPN+ and also has appeared on FOX Sports Midwest (now Bally Sports) as part of the Cougars' basketball television package.
He has called more than 400 SIUE men's basketball games and nearly 500 Cougar baseball games in addition to several hundred more soccer, volleyball, softball, and women's basketball games, while also serving as the host and emcee at many Cougar athletics special events throughout the year.
Pott also manages the student video crew responsible for the live production of SIUE Athletics events online. He has helped facilitate the transition of SIUE broadcasts from SIUETV to the OVC Digital Network and then to ESPN+.
Off the air, he heads the Athletic Communications Department and is the primary media contact for men's basketball, baseball, men's soccer and golf. Away from SIUE, Pott is in his fifth year as part of the sports staff on KMOX Radio where he serves as a host on the part-time host of the station and the St. Louis Cardinals Radio Network.
