Update – Drury men win 4-1 and clinch a playoff berth as do the Miner’s. A home game November 2nd still possible for the Panthers, depending on Sunday’s results.
The women finish tied 1-1 after overtime, with the Miner’s being eliminated from the GLVC Playoff race with the result.
From the Panther’s website: Drury’s first Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament men’s soccer berth since joining the league in 2005 is within sight for the Panthers with a victory tonight, when they host Missouri Science and Technology in the league regular-season finale at Harrison Stadium. (Tonight at 7:30 pm, the Women play at 5:00 pm)
Coach Alf Bilbao’s Panthers are 9-5-1 overall and 6-4-1 in the GLVC, standing in sixth place entering the league’s final weekend of play. The top eight teams qualify for the GLVC Tournament, which begins on November 2 at campus sites.
S & T (6-6-4, 4-2-4 in the league) sits one spot above Drury in a tie for fourth with Indianapolis (5-3-2 in the GLVC). With a victory and some help in other places this weekend – the Panthers have just one GLVC match remaining, while most everybody else has two – Drury could actually slide into a top-four finish and thereby earn the right to host a first-round GLVC Tournament match.
A loss on Friday night, and the Panthers – though unlikely – could slide out of the top eight and miss the tournament for a fourth straight year.
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The possibility of reaching the GLVC Tournament seemed very likely a couple of weeks ago, when I sat down with Coach Alf Bilbao and Coach Ryan Swan to discuss how they got there. Here is the story with some background notes.
Bilbao came to Drury University in 2005 from Truman State University, in Kirksville MO after 7 years as Head Coach. The Bulldogs, like the Panthers, compete at the NCAA Division II level. During his tenure at Kirksville, also his alma mater where he lettered 4 years as a defender, he took the men’s team to the NCAA Tournament 3 times. In 2003, the team finished with a 20-1 record, losing to Findlay (OH) in the Quarterfinals. The loss also ended a 25-game winning streak for the Bulldogs. Bilbao was named the NSCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year that year.
That’s an impressive record, especially for a team that plays as an independent. I wondered how long it would take for him to make his mark on the Drury Panthers, and when it would be recognized on the larger stage. The answer? Tonight’s result could make the answer to the question 4 years.
The Lady Panthers made a run all the way to the Final 16 last year, while claiming their first Great Lakes Valley Conference championship and setting a school mark for victories (17), a result that was ranked #3 in the SGFsoccer.com Top 10 list for 2007 (behind Glendale Coach Jeff Roger’s earning his 500th win and the Springfield SC winning their 2nd straight State Title). The ladies opened the season ranked 12th nationally and 2nd in the GLVC, and have guaranteed their spot in the GLVC post-season tournament for 2008.
The Men’s team cracked the national rankings for the first time this year on September 30th when they made their debut at #7. The recognition came following the Panther’s dramatic 3-2 overtime win over the previously #1 ranked Northern Kentucky. While the Panther’s were ranked #6 nationally during the 2006 season, the difference this year is the team’s level of play. And while the Panther’s have since fallen out of the National rankings, they are in the thick of the battle for one of the four spots available in the Midwest Region for the NCAA Tournament. More importantly, they are positioned to reach the GLVC post-season tournament for the first time with two games remaining in the Conference (see above).
I sat down with Coach Bilbao and his assistant, Ryan Swan, just before that big win to find out more. The responses are a compilation from my notes and a couple of subsequent conversations.
SGFsoccer.com: What has been the key to the men’s performance this year?
Bilbao: The lad’s have an extra year of experience with our system. We lost one starter on defense but we returned the rest of the team, which was reflected in our small recruiting class – Kyler Temple (Kickapoo) and sophomore Blake Wilson, a transfer from Division I Western Kentucky, a school that cut men’s soccer last year.
SGFsoccer.com: Last year’s team started well but lost their final 4 games. What lessons were learned from that experience?
Bilbao: The importance of discipline and internal competition. We played short-handed last season during the losing streak, with key players missing due to red-cards. Even so, we still finished 13-7 and came within one game of reaching the GLVC Tournament.
SGFsoccer.com: You have a chance to return to the NCAA Tournament with this team. Did you have a personal timetable for reaching that goal?
Bilbao: No, there was no timetable. I thought last year’s team was capable but as we saw there are a number of factors that come into play. The key continues to be building a program that Ryan and I can be proud of and that can compete.
SGFsoccer.com: What is your recruiting strategy? Has it changed by coming to Drury?
Bilbao: The recruiting strategy hasn’t changed. There are differences in the schools to take into account, for example Drury is a private institution and tuition costs are greater but there are also more resources available. The key has always been to find kids that are capable of playing a possession game, have technical skills and are smart. The current squad is a great example of that.
We have 3 seniors that were recruited by my predecessor (Tyson Bramel, Logan Hoffman, Michael Lassen ) who have made significant contributions. Add the three classes Ryan and I have recruited, with a significant contribution by Clint Corzatt who was my graduate assistant in 2005, and we’ve got a team with 3 years of experience playing together. We’ve improved every year and with five or more games remaining, expect to continue that streak.
SGFsoccer.com: I understand you’ve had some additional good news recently?
Bilbao: My wife Cary and I had our 3rd child, Keegan, earlier this month. It’s been a busy semester 
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