And the Southern Illinois University University Edwardsville men’s soccer coach plans on doing so day by day.
“We’ve got 364 more days with this trophy,†he said after the Cougars knocked off ºüÀêÊÓƵ University 1-0 in the annual Bronze Boot contest on Sunday night at CityPark.
Sophomore Yasha Schaerer converted on a penalty kick in the 62nd minute to decide the match.
The Cougars recorded their second successive win in the series after posting a 2-0 victory last season.
SLU (1-2-1) still leads the overall Bronze Boot battle 23-7-3.
SIUE traditionally saves its best for the battle with its rival from across the river. It had been outscored 9-1 over its first three contests this season and was coming off back-to-back 4-0 losses to Michigan State and Ohio State.
But the Cougars (1-2-1) dug in and held off a late charge from SLU, which held a 13-4 advantage in shots on goal.
Schaerer, a native of Zurich, Switzerland, blasted the penalty kick past SLU keeper Jeremi Abonnel and into the lower left-hand corner of the net for the game winner.
“I just focused on where I wanted to go,†Schaerer said. “Just zoned in.â€
Schaerer and Abonnel engaged in a little gamesmanship with Abonnel taking his time and making Schaerer wait before the keeper got into position.
The penalty kick was called when SLU midfielder Carlos Leatherman took down Nacho Abeal in the box with a bump just along the back line.
SLU coach Kevin Kalish felt the tackle was not deserving of a penalty and spoke with officials after the match about the call.
“He made a decision that I think changed the game,†said Kalish, who said it was “clearly†not the right call.
Ironically, Wassermann’s first choice to take the kick was Abeal, who normally takes those key shots. But Wassermann felt that Abeal might have been a little banged up by the tackle, so he went with Schaerer. The move paid off handsomely.
“To be fair to Yasha, he was buzzing tonight, so I wanted to give him that opportunity,†Wassermann said.
SIUE senior keeper Rob Gjelaj took over from there with a trio of huge saves down the stretch to record the clean sheet. His last stop came in the closing seconds, when he punched out a long drive into the box.
“They put a through ball in, and I saw it perfectly,†Gjelaj said. “It was a great punch. Just an amazing feeling.â€
The Bronze Boot series was resumed in 2018 after a lengthy hiatus. The teams are 2-2-2 since that resumption.
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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville senior Nacho Abeal, center, and Pavel Dashin, left, celebrate with the trophy after winning the annual men’s Bronze Boot match on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, at CityPark.