MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Memphis men's soccer squad will play host to the No. 21 Saint Louis Billikens on Wed., Aug. 26 at 7 p.m., on the pitch at Echles Field in an exhibition contest. Last season, the Tigers and Billikens faced off in St. Louis, with the Billikens winning, 2-0.

"We are really pleased to continue our relationship with Saint Louis," said head coach Richie Grant. "It is good to get a home and away series with them. We are excited for the opportunity to have another good game during the exhibition season. We are pleased that we will have the game on campus at Echles Field and are expecting a good crowd."

Memphis is coming off a 3-0 victory over Christian Brothers on Sunday night. The Tigers got two goals from sophomore Parker Duncan and one goal from senior Brian Farrell. The Tigers also got a boost from several newcomers with assists coming from freshmen J.J. Greer and Andreas Guentner. The 2009 version of the Memphis Tiger men's soccer team is going to have to rely heavily on the play of its freshman and sophomore classes, with only six upperclassmen on the squad this season. Though the Tigers are young, they still return nine players who saw the field for extensive playing time in 2008.

" I feel like we are getting better with each day of the preseason," Grant said. "The whole squad is starting to become more and more of a team. While this is true, we are also aware that there is a lot more work for us to do as a team and plenty more time in front of us."

Memphis started four freshmen in their last preseason game against CBU (Hugo Mondragon, Jordan Johnson, J.J. Greer and Andreas Guentner). Both Johnson and Guentner played all 90 minutes for the Tigers.

Saint Louis enters Wednesday's match as the No. 21 team in the nation. One of the most storied men's soccer programs in the nation, the Billikens enter 2009 with 10 national championships in the club's history, the most of any Division I soccer program. In their first exhibition tilt of the season, the Billikens upended in-state foe Missouri State, 2-0, with goals coming from sophomore Mike Roach and senior Jimmy Holmes.

Saint Louis is coming off of a 12-5-5 season in 2008, which saw them advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before being defeated by Indiana, 2-0. The Billikens defeated Missouri Valley Conference champion Drake in the first round of the tournament, 1-0, in a game that went to two overtimes. Drake will face off with the U of M on Sept. 13 in Birmingham at the 2009 UAB "Soccer For A Cure" Classic.

Returning from Saint Louis' 2008 squad will be senior midfielder Kyle Hayes, who was third on the team in goals (six) and second in assists (four), and senior defender Tim Ream, who earned All-Atlantic 10 Conference second team honors and NSCAA All-Region accolades. The Billikens will be looking to replace first team all-conference and Hermann Trophy Watch List member Kyle Patterson and first team NSCAA All-American defender Calum Angus.

Memphis will finish the preseason with a match against alumni of the Memphis soccer program on Sun., Aug. 30 at 7 p.m., at Echles field. The Tigers will open the regular season on Sept. 4 on the road in Peoria, Ill., against the Bradley Braves. Admission for both the game against Saint Louis and the alumni game at Echles Field will be free.