
Stephen Conner, Drury stoning NKU's Steven Beattie
This is interesting. Following the release of the
NCAA poll placing Lewis University 3rd in the National Poll, the Conference Coaches have chosen them to finish 3rd in the Conference, behind defending champions Drury and their favorite rival, Northern Kentucky. I consider this the more reliable poll as the Coaches are more familiar with each teams strengths, losses due to graduation and recruiting. The nation will have an immediate measure when the Panther’s travel to suburban Chicago to
face Lewis in the second game of the season, on Sunday September 5th. If the Panthers win, expect Lewis to drop quickly in the national poll.
Here is the press release from the Conference: INDIANAPOLIS – Drury University has been selected as the pre-season favorite to claim the 2010 GLVC Men’s Soccer Championship. In a vote of the GLVC’s 15 head coaches, the Panthers collected 188 total points and eight first-place votes to finish atop the 2010 GLVC Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
The Panthers (21-2, 13-1 GLVC) edged Northern Kentucky for the top spot in the poll. The Norse (15-6-2, 11-3 GLVC) collected 183 total points and three first-place votes. They were followed by Lewis who placed third in the annual publication. The Flyers (16-3-3,10-3) garnered 168 points and three first-place votes. The final first-place vote was given to Bellarmine. The Knights (11-6-1, 8-5) placed fourth in the poll with 159 total points.
UW-Parkside finished fifth in the voting with 142 total points and is followed in the poll by Rockhurst (115 total points), Quincy (112), Missouri S&T (108), Missouri-St. Louis (95), Indianapolis (81), Saint Joseph’s (76), Illinois-Springfield (62), Kentucky Wesleyan (37) and Maryville (28), and Illinois-Springfield (21).
Drury defeated Northern Kentucky in the 2009 GLVC championship match, 1-0, to claim the school’s first men’s soccer title. The Panthers advanced to the NCAA Midwest Regional Final before falling to Lewis, 1-0.
Drury is led by head coach Ryan Swan, the 2009 GLVC Coach of the Year, and last season’s GLVC Defensive Player of the Year Stephen Conner, a junior senior goalkeeper for the Panthers.
The 15 member institutions will compete in a 14-match round robin conference schedule and the top eight teams in the league standings will advance to the 2010 GLVC Tournament which is scheduled to begin on Oct. 31. The highest remaining seed following the quarterfinal round will host the GLVC semifinals and final on Nov. 5 and 7, respectively.