ASHLAND, Ohio - The nationally ninth-ranked Drury men's soccer Panthers stumbled in their season opener, falling 1-0 at Ashland in a non-conference matchup here on Friday night.
Ashland, an NCAA-II Midwest Regional competitor in the tourney hosted by Drury last season, improved to 1-0, while the Panthers fell to 0-1 after managing just four shots (to 11 by the Eagles) in the contest.
Ashland scored the game's only goal in the 33rd minute when Louis Clark sent the ball on an expedition into the goal off an assist from James Livingston after the ball ricocheted off a DU defender.
After matching the Eagles with two shots in the first half, Ashland claimed a 9-2 advantage in shots in the game's final 45 minutes.
Drury committed 25 fouls in the contest to 17 by the Eagles.
"Beyond the result, I was very disappointed with the performance," Drury coach Ryan Swan said. "We never really possessed the ball and got drawn into a physical battle. We have to get over this quickly as we face another tough challenge on Sunday."
The Panthers will visit Lewis in their Great Lakes Valley Conference opener Sunday in Romeoville, Ill. The Flyers ended Drury's magical 2009 season with a 1-0 victory in the NCAA-II Midwest Regional finals last November at Harrison Stadium.
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