Springfield is host to a pair of nationally important games on Sunday afternoon. Pick one and get out and make yourself heard! Both games begin at 1:00 pm CST – Did you set your clocks back?
The Missouri State Bears, ranked 25th in the country, host the 26th ranked Drake Bulldogs at 1:00 pm at Plaster Sports Complex. The game will likely determine the Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship. The Bears sit atop the table with 16 points and an 5-1-1 Conference record with 3 games remaining. Drake is second with 15 points and a 5-2 record and three games left. Creighton is tied for 2nd with 15 points but has a 4-2-3 Conference record and only one game remaining, closing the season at Drake on Saturday November 7th.
UPDATE – I’ve been informed that KSPR 33 (ABC) will be at the game, shooting with their brand new HD equipment. Look for highlights that evening!
The Bears have been promoting the game heavily on campus as part of Homecoming Weekend and have reached out to most of the High School programs in the area, pushing for an attendance record. Beautiful weather and a fantastic match up on tap. Attendance is FREE for anyone who brings two cans of non-perishable food for the Ozarks Food Harvest.
The Drury Panthers are ranked 4th in the country right now, just had 10 (TEN!) players recognized by the GLVC Coaches along with Head Coach Ryan Swan, Coach of the Year in the GLVC.
They will begin their quest for a first Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament championship when they take on eighth-seeded Missouri-St. Louis at 1 p.m. Sunday at Harrison Stadium. UMSL comes into the match with a mark of 9-6-2, but is coming off its most impressive win of the season – a 2-1 decision at second-seeded Northern Kentucky on Sunday. The Tritons have won five of their last six matches.
Drury defeated UMSL 3-0 at Harrison on Oct. 2 in a match that was locked in a scoreless tie at halftime. The Panthers scored two goals in a three-minute span about 12 minutes into the second half, as the 1-2 punch of senior Steve Wilczewski and junior Micah Whorton came up with the scores to lead DU to the win. Wilczewski, a Glendale graduate, just moved into 2nd on the career scoring list with two goals Friday night, moving past long time Falcon’s assistant Josh Keisker. His Falcon’s teammate Stephen Conner was the Defensive Player of the Year in the GLVC. This team is a LOT OF FUN to watch.
Conner, a sophomore goalkeeper for the Panthers, helped key a 13-1-0 conference record for Drury in 2009. In 13 league matches, Conner allowed just six goals and finished the conference season with a 0.46 goals against average. He made 39 saves and posted a 0.867 save percentage. In addition, Conner registered eight shutouts against league opponents and led the league in goals against average, shutouts and save percentage.
Overall in 2009, Conner has allowed eight goals and boasts a 0.50 goals against average. He has ten shutouts, 50 saves and a 0.862 save percentage. He is currently ranked sixth in NCAA Division II in goals against average and 11th in save percentage.
