It's 52 degrees and raining, but junior midfielder Addae Rique and the members of the SIUE men's soccer team are outside practicing anyway.

In contrast, far away in Trinidad and Tobago, where Rique grew up playing soccer, it is 83 degrees and sunny.

Warming up before practice with the rest of the team, Rique admitted the cold made him miss the warmer temperatures of Trinidad and Tobago.

"It is cold today," he said. "And especially when it gets cold, I miss home a lot."

Rique, the Great Lakes Valley Conference player of the week for Sept. 16 and SIUE's scoring leader, said he is willing to deal with the cold in order to achieve his dream of playing professional soccer someday.

This dream is the main reason behind his transfer this season to SIUE, a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II school, from Missouri Baptist University, a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

"I think SIUE has a better soccer program and more opportunities," he said.

"My intention is to go pro, and here [SIUE] I am playing with a better team and will have more opportunities," Jared Embick, men's soccer head coach at Missouri Baptist University, said

Rique's goal to play professional prompted his transfer.
"It wasn't personal or a problem with the school," Embick said.

"We just weren't what he needed to meet his goal of playing professional soccer, and SIUE was."

Rique's high level of play made him a tough player for Embick to loose.

"Losing Rique was definitely not something that made my day," Embick said. "It was very disappointing, especially because he was freshman of the year in our conference [American Midwest Conference] and all-conference and all-region last year. Players like that are very hard to replace."

Even with his move to SIUE, ranked 14th nationally in Division II, Rique remains a top player.

"I think he is one of the top players in the region," SIUE men's soccer head coach Ed Huneke said. "He is one of the better players that I have ever coached, and that is saying a lot."

The other members of the SIUE soccer team noticed his talent right away.

"I didn't hear about him coming until the day he was out here," freshman midfielder Eddie Davis said. "But from the very first practice, it was obvious he was going to be a huge asset to the team."

"I was excited to hear he was transferring here. Everybody was." senior midfielder Brian Horan said. "Getting a player of his caliber is always good for a team."

Huneke said he believes Rique is such a dominating player because he has both a mental grasp of the game and a strong physical presence.

"He is smart," Huneke said. "He knows how the game should be played and is a very cerebral player, but he also has a noticeable physical presence on the field and a superb presence on the ball."

Horan said Rique "always makes smart decisions and never fails to know where the goal is," which helps the offense control the game.

Rique's solid decision-making skills do help the team maintain possession of the ball and establish an offensive rhythm, according to Huneke.

"He makes good decisions and is very effective at distributing the ball well," Huneke said. "He has helped us maintain an offensive rhythm that is very hard for other teams to defend against."

Rique credits his decision-making skills to instinct.

"Soccer is a game that you need to play in the moment," Rique said. "Every time a new situation arises, my mind is just clicking. I just make decisions by instinct."

His instincts have paid off with five goals, a number he shares with senior midfielder Cal Thomas, two assists and two game-winning goals.

Other teams have noticed Rique's offense production, but Huneke doesn't believe teams can effectively defend him.

"We are in a very competitive conference and he is a marked man." Huneke said. "Still, even though teams know that we run our offense through him, there is no effective way for them to defend him because he can score himself or pass the ball off and he's a good passer."

Rique is always ready to pass or do anything to help the Cougars win because he said playing like a team player is important to him.

"Right now, I think I am helping the team a lot, passing and defending and playing good as a team player," Rique said. "That is most important."

Rique said the feeling that comes after winning a game is one of the best parts about playing soccer.

"I play to win," he said. "That is the best part of soccer, the joy after winning."

Now, he has another reason to play. His wife is due to give birth to a daughter, their first child, at the end of November.

"Every game I play now, I play for my wife and my daughter, Mya," he said.

While balancing soccer, classes and his family can be hectic at times, Rique said he isn't ready to complain.

"It is very difficult to manage my time," he said. "But classes are going good, soccer is going good, and soon I will have a daughter. I can't complain."

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