The SLU men’s and women’s soccer teams will play SIUE in a doubleheader at CITYPARK. (Photo courtesy: SLU Athletics)
Paige Dale
Staff Writer
ST. LOUIS, MO — The Saint Louis University athletics department announced this week that both its men’s and women’s soccer teams will host home games at CITYPARK, home of the city’s new Major League Soccer team, St. Louis CITY SC.
The Saint Louis men and women will host an evening doubleheader at CITYPARK against crosstown rival, SIU-Edwardsville on Saturday, September 2.
The women’s game will kick off at 5 p.m., with the men’s contest following at 7:30 p.m.
The SLU-SIUE men’s match will be the 32nd edition of the Bronze Boot, one of college soccer’s most storied rivalries.
“The Bronze Boot is synonymous with collegiate soccer history, and its impact on St. Louis is far and wide – it’s an honor for CITYPARK to be part of its story,” said Carolyn Kindle, CEO of St. Louis CITY SC. “We are excited to welcome SLU and SIUE fans to CITYPARK to watch as soccer’s superstars of tomorrow take the pitch in front of a loud hometown crowd.”
First played in 1969, the Bronze Boot was held in downtown St. Louis at Busch Stadium II from 1972-85 to accommodate large crowds. The rivalry was halted following the 1995 game and re-established in 2018.
The Bronze Boot is responsible for three of the 15 largest crowds in NCAA men’s soccer history. An NCAA-record 22,512 fans watched the Billikens and Cougars play at Busch Stadium II on October 30, 1980.
Saint Louis holds a 27-9-3 all-time series advantage, which includes a 23-5-3 lead in the Bronze Boot portion of the rivalry.
SLU will be the team bringing the trophy to this year’s match, following a 4-1 victory last year at SIUE. Three of the four games since the series’ resumption in 2018 have gone to overtime. The Cougars’ last win in the series came in 1982.
The Saint Louis and SIUE women’s teams first squared off in 2011. A five-game winning streak, including last season’s 3-0 triumph at SLU’s Hermann Stadium, has given the Billikens a 6-1-1 series lead.
“We are thrilled to showcase the Billiken men’s and women’s soccer teams at CITYPARK in September as we play SIUE,” SLU Director of Athletics Chris May said. “There is an unparalleled history between SLU and SIUE in men’s soccer, and we are excited to compete for the Bronze Boot on this stage.
“The Billiken women’s team, which has won five consecutive Atlantic 10 Conference championships, is fired up to kick off the night. We look forward to partnering with St. Louis CITY SC to present the best of college soccer in their world-class facility, CITYPARK. A special thank you to Carolyn Kindle, Jason Thein, and the entire St. Louis CITY SC organization for their support in making this great event a reality.”
St. Louisans and soccer greats Chris Carenza, Al Trost, Dan Flynn, Brian McBride, Tim Twellman, and Ed Huneke, as well as current St. Louis CITY SC players John Klein and A.J. Palazzolo, played in the Bronze Boot game during their collegiate careers.
General admission tickets for the Bronze Boot go on sale Monday, July 31. One ticket provides access to both matches. Tickets are $20, and $10 per person for groups of 10 or more.
SLU sports information contributed info to this story.