Via Evangel Athletics – Evangel University has announced the addition of men’s and women’s soccer to its intercollegiate athletic offerings, beginning in the 2015-16 school year.

This will be the first time the university has offered women’s soccer and the first time to offer men’s soccer since the 1974 season. A Men’s Coach will be hired this Fall and a Women’s Coach sometime in 2015.

Evangel will play home matches at the Lake Country Soccer Complex on East Pythian Street in Springfield. Read more at Evangel.edu

Good news as it offers another opportunity for area players. When I last looked at this topic, in 2006 shortly after a $1 million upgrade the athletic facilities at the school, I pointed out that Evangel was the only school in the Heart of America Conference that did NOT offer soccer.

I pointed out in the story that there were nine area players who were playing the game at other HAAC schools, a list that has changed somewhat since then (Jewell and Lindenwood are now D2). I think the same opportunities to attract local players as well as from their core missionary students bode well.