EDWARDSVILLE – SIUE men’s soccer secured its 24th NCAA Tournament berth Saturday after winning the inaugural Ohio Valley Conference Championship with a 1-0 win over Incarnate Word Saturday at Korte Stadium.
“It feels amazing,” SIUE Head Coach Cale Wassermann said. “Incarnate Word pushed us to the final whistle, and it took a special goal to beat them.”
SIUE will enter the tournament unbeaten at 16-0-3. The Cougars will learn their opponent and destination Monday afternoon when the bracket is revealed at 12:00 central time.
After scoring twice in the semifinal match, Ignacio Abeal Pou scored the lone goal in the title game and earned Tournament Most Valuable Player honors for his efforts.
Nacho blasted home the game-winner from 21 yards away in the 27th minute. Stephan Moreira delivered the short pass across the top of the box after getting a pass back from Jake Karolczak.
SIUE has won nine straight games, the longest current winning streak in Division I.
Abeal was joined on the All-Tournament team by goalkeeper Sam Gomez, midfielder Sam Layton, and defender Aaron Crabtree.
SIUE is making its 14th appearance in the Division I tournament, and its third since the most recent return to Division I in 2008. The Cougars last appearance, in 2016, resulted in a run to the Sweet 16 where SIUE lost to eventual national runner-up Wake Forest.
“This is the icing on the cake,” Wassermann said. “First the regular season and now the tournament, but we’re not done yet.”
Box score
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| UIW | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SIUE | 1 | 0 | 1 |
SIUE vs. Incarnate Word: By the numbers
| Game Stats | UIW | SIUE |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 0 | 1 |
| Shots | 7 | 12 |
| Shots on Goal | 1 | 6 |
| Saves | 5 | 1 |
| Corners | 3 | 4 |
| Offsides | 0 | 0 |
| Fouls | 4 | 17 |
| 26:12 | |
|---|---|
 | Ignacio Abeal Pou (5) Assisted By: Stephan Moreira , Jake Karolczak GOAL by SIUE Abeal Pou, Ignacio Assist by Moreira, Stephan and Karolczak, Jake. |
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.
