SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Drury men's soccer earned a 4-2 win over Upper Iowa in a Sunday thriller for its second Great Lakes Conference (GLVC) game of the weekend. 
 
The Panthers came out strong from the opening whistle. Gage Vehr opened the game with a shot in the fourth minute. A corner in the fifth minute from Joe Loughnane set up Rian Mulherin to score the first goal of his career and give the Panthers a 1-0. Upper Iowa responded with two shots in the 21^st and 24^th minutes, both saved by goalkeeper Camden Meyer. 
 
In the 27^th minute, Drury was awarded a corner, and Sam Tagg served a cross that Carson Morgan finished to make it 2-0. The Peacocks answered with a volley in the 30^th minute to make it 2-1. Drury continued to press for another goal before halftime, but could not find the back of the net.
 
The Panthers struck again early in the second half. Gage Vehr scored his first goal of the season in the 52^nd minute off a pass from Rian Mulherin. It was only four minutes later when Joe Loughnane scored the fourth off a strong buildup from the Panthers. The Peacocks responded in the 57^th minute with another shot that was stopped by Camden Meyer. 
 
Upper Iowa kept growing into the match, with shots in the 65^th and 67^th minutes that could not find the target. It wasn't much longer until the Peacocks got their second goal in the 68^th minute. Drury didn't back down, as Carson Morgan, Joe Loughnane, and Rian Mulherin all had chances in the 75^th minute. The Panthers held defensively strong in a physical contest to secure the 4-2 victory.
 
After the full-time whistle, an altercation resulted in two red cards, one for each team. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Gage Vehr opened the game with a shot in the fourth minute.
• A corner from Joe Loughnane allowed Rian Mulherin to score the first goal.
• Upper Iowa responded with two shots in the 21^st and 24^th minutes, both of which were saved by Camden Meyer
• Sam Tagg assisted Carson Morgan from another corner in the 27^th minute to make it 2-0.  
• The Peacocks scored a volley in the 30^th minute to make it a one-goal game.
• Drury came out of the halftime break with a goal from Gage Vehr in the 52^nd minute.
• Four minutes later, Joe Loughnane bagged a goal off a nice buildup from Mason Platts and Sam Tagg.
• Camden Meyer stopped another shot in the 57^th minute to keep the lead. 
• Upper Iowa continued to press with shots in the 65^th and 67^th minutes.
• Peacocks scored their second goal in the 68^th minute. 
• Drury looked for a fifth with shots from Carson Morgan, Joe Loughnane, and Rian Mulherin.
• The Panthers defended well to close out a 4-2 win. 

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Panthers scored four goals for the first time since 2022. 
• Rian Mulherin and Gage Vehr scored the first goals of their Drury careers.
• Mulherin also tallied an assist on his pass to Vehr.
• Carson Morgan scored his third of the season and second of the weekend.
• Joe Loughnane scored his third of the season to seal the game.
• Loughnane bagged an assist on his corner kick to Mulherin.
• Sam Tagg recorded two assists against the Peacocks.
• Tagg has three assists on the season.
• Mason Platts received his first assist of the season on Loughnane's goal. 
• Both Loughnane and Mulherin scored and assisted in the same match. 
• Camden Meyer saved four shots against the Peacocks.
• Meyer ranks seventh all-time in career saves. 
• Meyer, Morgan, Mulherin, and Sergio Aznar featured in all 90 minutes.
• Meyer and Morgan have played every minute of the season. 
• Drury had a season-high in shots with 19.
• The Panthers also matched season-highs in shots on target (7) and corner kicks (9). 
• Drury scored off two corners against Upper Iowa. 
• Drury improves to 3-3-5 overall and 3-3-3 in the GLVC.

QUOTE
"We started well and found two early goals, but dropped the insanity the rest of the first half," head coach Ben Taylor said. "The response from the guys out of the half was incredible. I thought we worked hard and deserved the win."
 
UP NEXT
Drury heads back on the road for more GLVC matchups against Quincy on Friday, Oct. 17, and Truman State on Sunday, Oct. 19. Kickoffs are set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.

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