St. Louis Lions travel north for weekend matches in Des Moines and Rochester

 

 

 

 

 

NEWS RELEASE

Media Contact:

Colin Pennington

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St. Louis Lions travel north for weekend matches in Des Moines and Rochester

 

St. Louis, Mo. (May 27, 2009)-  After playing the Des Moines Menace to a 2-2 draw this past Saturday and earning a spot in the 2009 U.S. Open Cup, the St. Louis Lions will travel to Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday, May 30 for a 6:30 p.m. match at Valley Stadium against the Menace and then to Rochester, Minn. for a 6:00 p.m. match Sunday against the Rochester Thunder.

 

Saturday's match against Des Moines will be the second of three meetings between the Lions and Menace this season with the first having ended in a 2-2 draw on Saturday, May 23 in St. Louis.  St. Louis leads the all-time series against Des Moines 3-1-4 and the Menace have not beat the Lions since their first ever meeting on May 13, 2006, but the last three matches dating back to last season have all ended in a draw.

 

"So many of our matches against Des Moines have been so close that we've really built up a great rivalry," said Lions Head Coach Tony Glavin.  "Casey (Mann) always has his guys ready to play and we have no reason to believe that won't be the case again this weekend."

 

Both clubs have a record of 3-0-1 on the season and are tied for second in the Heartland Division behind Real Colorado, who has played two more games than St. Louis and Des Moines so far.  The Lions are lead by forwards Steven Beattie and Stephen Brocks who have nine points each through four matches this season and are tied for fourth in the league lead in that category.  Meanwhile, Des Moines will look to get another solid performance from goalkeeper Sean Molony who is 3-0-1 on the season with a 1.00 GAA.

 

"If there's been one constant on both sides in all our meetings with Des Moines it has been goaltending," said Glavin.  "We've done a great job so far this season creating chances offensively and we need to continue to get better at capitalizing on those chances.  Additionally, we need Brenton (Saylor) to continue his solid play in net."

 

After leaving Des Moines, St. Louis will make its first ever trip to Rochester, Minn. for a 6:00 p.m. match against the Rochester Thunder on Sunday, May 31 at Rochester Community Technical College.  The match will be the final of two meetings between the two clubs this season with St. Louis winning the first meeting 2-1 on May 10 in St. Louis. 

 

Rochester is 2-2-0 thus far in its inaugural season and is coming off a 2-0 shutout victory at home against the Kansas City Brass last Saturday.  Rochester is 2-0-0 on its home field so far this season, while St. Louis is 2-0-0 on the road.

 

Following the current road trip, St. Louis will return home to play six of its next seven matches at the Tony Glavin Soccer Complex.

 

For more information about the Lions and upcoming matches, visit www.stllions.com.

 

The St. Louis Lions are playing their fourth season as a member of the United Soccer League's (USL) Premier Development League (PDL) where players have the ability to compete throughout the summer months in a professionalized setting while maintaining their collegiate eligibility. The league is the proving ground for players that aspire to reach the highest-levels of the game, while providing affordable family entertainment within their city.  The PDL consistently sends players into the professional ranks with several playing in the USL First and Second Professional Divisions as well as 39 players with PDL experience chosen in the 2009 Major League Soccer SuperDraft.  In just three prior seasons the Lions have competed in the U.S. Open Cup(2008), PDL playoffs(2007), won the Rookie Franchise of the Year Award(2006) and currently have five former players playing professional soccer.