INDIANAPOLIS – Coach
Ryan Swan's Drury Panthers have been tabbed for a fourth-place finish in the Great Lakes Valley Conference men's soccer preseason poll of league coaches released on Thursday.
Swan's Panthers, ranked No. 23 nationally in the NSCAA preseason Top 25 poll, are coming off a 16-5 season that saw DU reach the GLVC tourney semifinals (falling to eventual league champion Indianapolis) and advance to the second round of the NCAA-II national tournament.
Top returnees for the Panthers include senior All-GLVC midfielder
Matt Clarkin, sophomore forward
Charles Guelly (six goals, four assists) and redshirt junior keeper
Blake Andrews, the starter in 2013 who missed last season due to injury.
Drury opens its season in Quincy, Ill., taking on Lindenwood on September 5 and Findlay on September 6. The Panthers will open their home slate on Sunday, September 13 against GLVC rival Rockhurst at Harrison Stadium in the Curry Sports Complex (where DU went 9-0-0 last season).
Swan is entering his seventh season at the DU helm, with the Panthers having made the GLVC's eight-team, post-season tourney field in each of his six seasons to go with NCAA-II tourney appearances in 2009, 2012 and 2014.
GLVC Preseason Men's Soccer Poll VideoThe University of Indianapolis has been voted by the league coaches to win the 2015 GLVC title. The Greyhounds, who finished the 2014 campaign with a 12-5-3 record, earned six of the 16 first-place votes and 206 total points in the poll.
Quincy University (203 points), Rockhurst University (194), Drury University (188) and Lewis University (178), rounded out the top-five positions. While UIndy earned the most points, Quincy received the most first-place votes with eight, and Drury tallied two first-place votes of its own.
The Greyhounds return to the pitch under the direction of sixth-year mentor and 2013 GLVC Coach of the Year John Higgins, who led his 2014 squad to the program's first GLVC Championship. Last season, UIndy compiled a 9-4-2 mark in league action and will embark on its road to defending the title on new turf at Key Stadium.
After sweeping all four GLVC major awards in the postseason and appearing in the NCAA National Semifinals last fall, Quincy was ranked third in the 2015 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Preseason Poll behind defending NCAA Champion Lynn (1st) and runner-up Charleston (2nd). The Hawks return 2014 All-GLVC pick Xhovani Dokaj who also earned NSCAA and Daktronics All-America honors for helping his team to a GLVC regular season title and a 21-2-2 record while scoring a DII national-best 11 game-winning goals.
Reigning GLVC Coach of the Year Mike Carpenter enters his fourth season at the helm after leading the group to a record-breaking year, including most shutouts (15) and a tie for most wins, while the Hawks' win in the opening game of the National Tournament a year ago was the first for the program.
Led by the second winningest mentor all-time among intercollegiate men's soccer coaches in Tony Tocco, Rockhurst will look to improve its fortune in 2015 and return to past success that has seen seven of the last 13 teams reach the NCAA National Tournament, including a Midwest Regional title in 2011 and 2013 as well as a National Semifinals berth in 2013. Aiming to help the Hawks in that endeavor are two 2014 All-GLVC selections in senior defender Nick Caruso and sophomore midfielder Adam Michel.
University of Missouri-St. Louis (161), Bellarmine University (142), Missouri S&T (113), University of Southern Indiana (107) and University of Wisconsin-Parkside (92) filled in spots 6-10, while Truman State University (90) and McKendree University (82) placed 11th and 12th, respectively. Places 13-16 were respectively rounded out by Maryville University (52), University of Illinois Springfield (51), William Jewell College (40) and Saint Joseph's College (21).
Be sure to follow @GLVCsports on Twitter and Instagram – hashtag #GLVCmsoc – and stay tuned for select coverage throughout the season on the GLVC Sports Network at
GLVCsports.com/watch.
| 2015 GLVC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll |
| Place | Institution | Total (First Place Votes) |
| 1 | Indianapolis | 206 (6) |
| 2 | Quincy | 203 (8) |
| 3 | Rockhurst | 194 |
| 4 | Drury | 188 (2) |
| 5 | Lewis | 178 |
| 6 | Missouri-St. Louis | 161 |
| 7 | Bellarmine | 142 |
| 8 | Missouri S&T | 113 |
| 9 | Southern Indiana | 107 |
| 10 | UW-Parkside | 92 |
| 11 | Truman State | 90 |
| 12 | McKendree | 82 |
| 13 | Maryville | 52 |
| 14 | Illinois Springfield | 51 |
| 15 | William Jewell | 40 |
| 16 | Saint Joseph's | 21 |
