SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Drury men's soccer dominated in a 5-1 win over Illinois Springfield in Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) play Wednesday evening.
Gui Maia opened the action in the third minute with a shot that forced a save from Illinois Springfield goalkeeper Kevin Kardel. The Panthers continued to press early and capitalized in the 10th minute when
Caua Nascimento found
Sigurdur Thorisson for the first goal of his Drury career.
The Prairie Stars responded in the 17th minute with a strike from Gentil Selemani off an assist from Robin Lemke Bergseth. Both teams traded chances as they searched for the next goal. Nascimento created another opportunity in the 37th minute, finding
Sam Tagg on a cutback across goal for the go-ahead finish. The Panthers went into halftime with a 2-1 lead.
Illinois Springfield began the second half with the first shot in the 50th minute, forcing
Ben Barnett to make a save. Nascimento had the first chance for the Panthers, but was denied by Kardel, the GLVC Defender of the Week. In the 63rd minute,
Eyal Kibrik sent a ball into the box that carried into the back of the net, putting Drury up 3-1.
The floodgates opened for Drury as the Panthers continued to attack. Kibrik found
Mason Platts in the box, and Platts buried a first-time shot in the 72nd minute. Six minutes later,
Parker Jusseaume added his second goal of the season off an assist from freshman
Logan Strong. The Panthers continued to create chances while keeping the Prairie Stars from finding a way back into the match, closing out the 5-1 win.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Drury improved to 4-1-0 overall and 2-0-0 in GLVC play, extending its winning streak to three matches.
- Wednesday night's win marks Drury's best start to a season since 2016, when the Panthers won their first seven matches.
- The Panthers snapped a 10-match winless streak against Illinois Springfield, earning their first win in the series since Oct. 19, 2014.
- The Panthers' five goals were their most in a match since 2021.
- Drury held a 20-8 advantage in shots against Illinois Springfield, including 11-2 in shots on goal.
- The Panthers have outscored opponents 12-4 through five matches this season, averaging 2.4 goals per game.
- Five different Panthers scored against Illinois Springfield, with Sigurdur Thorisson, Eyal Kibrik, and Mason Platts each recording their first goals of the season.
- Caua Nascimento recorded two assists, becoming the first Panther with a multi-assist match this season.
- Sam Tagg finished with three points on a goal and an assist, giving him two goals and two assists through five matches.
- Tagg leads the team with six points.
- Parker Jusseaume scored this second goal of the season, with both coming off the bench.
- Ben Barnett made one save as the defense only allowed two shots on goal.
- Drury has 21 players feature in the match.
QUOTABLE
"Really happy with the result at home," head coach
Ben Taylor said. "I thought we responded well after our mistake and the guys stuck to what we are trying to do. It was really nice to get our bench in. A lot of true freshmen got to play, and it was awesome to see
Logan Strong get an assist. Missouri-St. Louis will be a tough test on the road, but we're excited for it and excited to keep rolling."
"It was good to get the first goal,"
Sigurdur Thorisson said. "The team was really good today, and we're looking forward to the next game.
"Big game Saturday," senior
Lui Bull said. "We look to keep the momentum going and carry it on for the rest of the season."
UP NEXT
The Panthers travel to St. Louis, Mo., to take on Missouri-St. Louis in GLVC play Saturday night.
FOLLOW THE PANTHERS
For all the latest information on Drury athletics, please visit
drurypanthers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Panthers on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
#WonDrury
