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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Drury men’s soccer team is preparing for their 33rd season in program history with several strong opponents and new faces.
Ben Taylor is entering his eighth season at the helm at Drury and has strong expectations for his club this season but doesn’t want to put a ceiling on what this year’s team can achieve.
“During the spring, we got back to our philosophy of what Drury soccer is,” he said. “I think we will be stronger than last year.”
The schedule for the scarlet and gray features a 17-game regular season with their home and season opener versus Oklahoma Christian in Springfield on September 7. The non-conference foes continue with Northeastern St. (September 9) and Newman (September 12).
Eight matches at Harrison Stadium highlight the schedule, with the Panthers hitting the road nine times. 14 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) matches for Drury are highlighted by four teams that reached the NCAA-II Tournament in 2023: Maryville (September 29), Indianapolis (at home on October 4), Illinois Springfield (at home on October 6), and Lewis (October 13).
“I don’t think we do ourselves any favors,” said Taylor of the schedule. “The GLVC is the most difficult conference in the country, not because of the four or five teams that make it to the tournament, but because of the teams in the middle. There are no gimmes in this league.”
The Panthers will be a young squad this season, bringing in over 20 newcomers. Coach Taylor has confidence in multiple newcomers, including freshmen Mason Platts, Liam Olson, and Rian Mulherin. Taylor has also used the transfer portal to find difference-makers. Sergio Aznar from Northeast Community College, and Joe Loughnane out of Blinn College are among the transfers looking to contribute. In two seasons for the Buccaneers, Loughnane recorded 33 points, while Aznar helped lead the Hawks to the NJCAA DII National Semifinals from the defensive end last season.
Drury returns 46 percent of their points from last season, led by Lui Bull (7) and J.J. Adikwu (6). Coach Taylor placed three different keepers in net last season and returned two of them with Camden Meyer, who saw action in 12 games last year, and Ben Barnett, who was in goal for three games. Taylor says there will be an open competition in the preseason to see who will hold down the net for this season.
The Panthers finished last season with a 4-9-5 record and 4-6-3 in GLVC play. The team’s season ended in the first round of the GLVC Tournament to Illinois-Springfield. Drury was picked seventh in the GLVC preseason coaches’ poll after finishing eighth in the conference last year.
The opening kickoff for this season is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Harrison Stadium on September 7 against Oklahoma Christian.
