Tag Archives: Peter Higgins

GLVC Soccer: Panthers Win, Grab 5th Seed In Tourney

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Grant Bowden, Drury Panthers (2011)

Grant Bowden, Drury Panthers (2011)

Senior Grant Bowden’s header goal (video below) in the 26th minute Sunday afternoon gave Drury all it needed to pull out a 1-0 Great Lakes Valley Conference soccer victory over Saint Joseph’s on Senior Day at Harrison Stadium in The Curry Family Sports Complex.

Bowden’s second goal of the season helped the Panthers to improve to 10-6 overall and 9-5 in the GLVC as they secured their spot in the eight-team GLVC Tournament field which opens play on Oct. 31. Drury will be the No. 5 seed and visit No. 4 Quincy next Sunday at a time to be determined. Saint Joseph’s fell to 8-7-1 and 6-7-1.

DU junior keeper Stephen Conner picked up his seventh shutout of the season and school-record 21st of his career for the Panthers. Drury outshot the visiting Pumas 14-4 on a day when the program recognized 12 seniors in post-game ceremonies for their contributions in their final home game of the season – Blake Wilson, Ben Taylor, Peter Higgins, Mason North, Danny Collins, Alex Palmer, Connor McClellan, Adam Peterson, Micah Whorton, Taylor Stacy, David Emnett and Bowden.

PHOTO GALLERY FROM SENIOR RECOGNITION POST-GAME

The Panthers will close out the regular season with a non-conference match at Harding on Tuesday in Searcy, Ark. The Panthers travel to No. 4 seed Quincy (10-4-2) for a first round GLVC Tourney game next Sunday. Drury (10-6-0) finished as the No. 5 seed.

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Drury Panthers Grab OT Win Over Rockhurst

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Micah Whorton, Drury Panthers (2011)

Micah Whorton, Drury Panthers (2011)

Drury Panthers – 3 (2nd OT)
Rockhurst Hawks – 2
From DruryPanthers.com – Micah Whorton’s goal off a Peter Higgins assist with 6:34 left in the second overtime rallied Drury to a 3-2 victory over Rockhurst in a Great Lakes Valley Conference men’s soccer match Sunday afternoon at Harrison Stadium.

See the Video below! Photo Gallery

Whorton’s goal capped a furious comeback after Drury trailed 2-1 with just over 10 minutes left in regulation. But senior David Emnett scored from 15 yards out on an assist from freshman Matt Baker in the 79th minute with the goal that would force overtime.

After a scoreless initial 10-minute extra period, Higgins worked his way toward the goal from the right side and fired a pass to Whorton, who put it home to touch off a DU celebration as the Panthers improved to 4-1 overall and 3-0 in the GLVC with their fourth straight victory.

Senior Danny Collins got the Panthers on the board first wen he scored from three yards away in the 13th minute, off an assist from freshman Alec Nagel and senior Alex Palmer, for a 1-0 advantage before Rockhurst tied it on Curt McDonald’s goal in the 34th minute to send the teams to halftime knotted at 1-1.

Paolo Scoppola scored an improbable goal from 20 yards out over the head of DU keeper Stephen Conner at 59:42 to give the Hawks (3-2, 2-2 in the GLVC) a 2-1 advantage before the Panthers rallied.

Conner had five saves, matching Rockhurst keeper Kyle Clawson, as the Panthers outshot the visiting Hawks by a 13-9 count.

Drury returns to action on Tuesday, playing Quincy at 7 p.m. at Cosmo Park in Columbia in a makeup of their rained-out GLVC match in Quincy on September 10.

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Drury Panthers Ranked 9th In Division II Preseason Poll

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Drury Panthers, 2009 GLVC Champions

Drury Panthers, 2009 GLVC Champions

The NCAA Division II preseason poll was released Tuesday and the Drury Panther’s were included in the Top 10. The defending GLVC Champions (pictured) are coming off of their most successful season ever, finishing 21-2-0, losing 0-1 to Lewis University in the second round of the NCAA tournament following two straight shutout wins over Northern Kentucky in the GLVC Finals and NCAA 1st Round, avenging the only regular season loss that year.

The team returns a core of seven starters from last years team including the entire defensive corp, starting with senior GK Stephen Conner (Glendale). Conner had 14 shutouts in 2009, giving up only 11 goals overall and was named the GLVC Defensive Player of the Year while also earning 2nd Team All-American status.

His defensive line is a quartet of seniors, led by Ben Taylor (pictured holding the trophy), also a 2nd Team All-American and the second leading returning scorer on the team with 7 goals and 5 assists. Taylor plays outside left and handles many of the teams set pieces. The central defenders will be Blake Wilson and Conner McClellan while Grant Bowden will be the outside right back. This battle tested defensive crew will be relied on to keep the Panther’s close while the team identify’s who will step up to replace the 26 goals, including 11 game-winners, scored by Steve Wilczewski and Andrew Bordelon in 2009.

The midfield will be led by senior Peter Higgins, who will move into the play-making position vacated by Ben Nabers. Nabers was the unsung hero of last years team, with the ability to reliably hold the ball in tight situations before starting the Panther’s attack. Higgin’s is very talented, earning Honorable Mention All-American recognition last year, and one of the hardest workers on the team but is the only returning starter in the midfield. A pair of Springfield products, Danny Collins (Glendale) and Adam Peterson (Kickapoo) played in 20 or more games each last year and will work to earn starting positions this year. Collins scored 3 goals and had 3 assists from his outside position while Peterson scored 2 goals while earning minutes at both midfield and forward. One incoming freshman, Brendan Langford (San Antonio, TX) spent the summer in Springfield playing for the Demize PDL team. Langford showed good technical skills during the minutes he played and should earn playing time but likely won’t be prepared to start.

Micah Whorton returns up top following a highly successful season in 2009, scoring 15 goals and providing 15 assists and 45 points, tops on the team. Whorton earned 3rd Team All-American recognition for his efforts and will be expected to continue his fine form in his senior season. Sr Dave Emnett played in 18 games last year and will challenge for a starting position.

The recruiting class this year is 12 players strong, coming from 4 states, and includes Catholic’s Justin Bowenschulte. A few I think can make an impact this year include this trio of Scott-Gallagher players from St Louis:

Alec Nagel, 5-11 midfielder, Jefferson City High School: Alec was a First Team All-Region, First Team All-State and Central Region MVP selection who’s speed and strength could pair well with Whorton.
Matthew Hutchison, 6-0 forward, CBC High School: Matthew helped CBC and his Scott Gallagher club team both to state championships in 2009. He was named to the First Team All-Conference, All-Metro and All-State squads, and is playing club this spring with the Gallagher Academy.
Michael Yuede, 5-8 midfielder, St. Dominic High School: He was the Class 2 state player of the year after leading his team to a state championship, earning First Team All-State and Second Team All-Metro honors. Yuede also was a number of the ’09 Missouri state champion Scott Gallagher Soccer Club team.

The Panther’s open regular season play on Friday September 3rd at Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio before traveling to Chicago for a Sunday September 5th game at Lewis University. Lewis reached the NCAA Final 4 after beating Drury in the 2nd round so this game will be an early season grudge match.

The first home game will be Friday September 17th against Truman State University, the other ranked Missouri team, coming in at 24th in the preseason poll.

GLVC Announces Men’s All-Conference Soccer Teams

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GLVC: Missouri S&T Miners host Indianapolis Greyhounds Missouri S&T’s Pat McNamee (pictured against Indy in September) has been selected as the 2008 GLVC Freshman of the Year. McNamee, a goalkeeper for the Miners, posted 0.98 goals against average, a 0.846 save percentage and six shutouts in league play. He helped S&T to a 4-4-4 conference record and to a berth in the GLVC tournament. McNamee posted a 0.97 goals against average, 0.842 save percentage and seven shutouts overall this season.

Offensive Player of the Year: Steven Beattie, Northern Kentucky
Defensive Player of the Year: Chad Becker, Rockhurst
Freshman of the Year: Pat McNamee, Missouri S&T
Coach of the Year: Tony Tocco, Rockhurst
The entire squad can be seen here.

Recognized on the ALL-GLVC SECOND TEAM were forwards Marco Cherisma, Sr. and Steve Wilczewski (Glendale 2006), Jr. from Drury as well as Midfielder Brian Fishback (Parkview 2005), Sr., Indianapolis

The ALL-GLVC THIRD TEAM includes Forward Nick Landon, Jr., Missouri S&T and Midfielder Peter Higgins, So., Drury and Back Andy Held, Jr., Missouri S&T.

Drury Panthers Dismantle MSSU Lions

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Drury Panthers vs Missouri Southern Lions
Micah Whorton scoring the final goal

Drury Panthers – 5
Missouri Southern Lions – 0
The Drury Panthers looked like a finally tuned sports car this evening as they faced their Western neighbors. The goals were all scored from inside the six yard box as the Panthers moved the ball with pace and urgency throughout the game. The first came in the 6th minute when Peter Higgins nodded a header past the keeper that was sent in by Ben Taylor. Marco Cherisma scored a pair, the first in the 13th minute from Taylor’s assist, the second in the 32nd from Steve Wilczewski.

The second goal was a classic, as the play started near the center circle as Higgin’s received a ball that he sent back to Taylor who was already beginning to move forward from his defensive position. Taylor’s give-and-go with Wilczewski 35 yards out was perfectly weighted and sent Taylor in unmarked on the left side. His run into the box allowed him to pick Cherisma out with a square ball that completely exposed the Lion’s defense.

With the #1 ranked University of Northern Kentucky Norsemen game on Friday, the Panther’s began looking to the bench early in the second half and the attack continued. The sense of urgency only seemed to increase as the competition for playing time on this squad is high. Micah Whorton was the primary beneficiary as he scored a brace in the second half, the first as he walked a ball into the net after the keeper went down and the second via header (pictured above) at the far post.

The Panther’s lost their final 4 conference games last year, including a 2-0 loss to NKU in their final home game, eliminating them from the GLVC playoffs. The string began after a 1-0 OT win at MSSU October 7th. While there is an obvious difference on the scoreboard, the key question is will not be ability. As I noted last year, it was not opportunity or ability that doomed the Panthers, it was a lack of discipline. Much like a players success in the transition from high school to college is defined not by athleticism or skill, but attitude, so will the Panther’s success this weekend be determined by their mental toughness.

And lest I forget, the Women will also have a challenge on their hands as the UNK Lady Norse are now ranked #3 in the Midwest Region, just behind Wisconsin-Parkside and ahead of #8 Drury. They just cracked the national rankings as well, at #20.