October 29, 2009

Men's Soccer Ready for GLVC Tourney Opener at Drury

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The UMSL men’s soccer team will begin its run towards a GLVC Tournament championship this Sunday afternoon. The Tritons, who are making their first tournament appearance since 2006, are the No. 8 seed in the field and travel to top-seeded and No. 4 ranked Drury at 1 p.m. in Springfield, Mo. for one of four quarterfinal round games across the league.

UMSL, which stands at 9-6-2 on the season and moved up to seventh in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Midwest Regional Rankings this week, punched its tourney ticket with a thrilling 2-1 victory at No. 12 ranked Northern Kentucky last Sunday in the final GLVC regular season game.

“The win at Northern Kentucky has really built our confidence and shows our guys that they can take it to the next step,” said ninth-year head coach Dan King.

Drury, which stands at 15-1 on the season, handed UMSL a 3-0 loss earlier this season in Springfield. The Tritons, however, are hoping for a different outcome this time around.

“We just need to stay focused, play as a team and make good decisions on the ball,” said King. “We also need to take advantage of our shot opportunities and place our shots on goal.”

UMSL is led by an experienced 10-member senior class. All were freshmen in 2006 when the Tritons made their last GLVC Tournament appearance.

“This is something they have been striving to get back to since their freshmen year,” King said. “They really worked hard together this past summer and came into the season more focused on what they needed to do to get there.”

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