Illinois College Men's Soccer
	The Illinois College men’s soccer team is determined and poised to continue last fall’s conference success in the upcoming 2010 season. During the 2009 campaign the Blueboys went 7-10-1 overall and 5-4-0 in the Midwest Conference. This accomplishment cannot be overlooked or devalued. It was the first winning season in conference since 1993. Of course this break-through season came from a strong group of talent that will be missed by the program. With the losses from graduation, the team could have found themselves in a season of rebuilding with daydreams of last season’s glories; instead, the team returns with great talent and little change in some key areas of the field. The program’s future continues to be bright and expectations are high in 2010. The 2010 men’s soccer team features nine of last year’s letter winners. Included in this group are the team’s captains: senior attacking-midfielder Matt Oller (Edwardsville) and junior attacking-midfielder Corey Marin (Godfrey). Oller and Marin will bring their experience, hard work and leadership to the 2010 squad. Also leading by example is senior goalkeeper Kevin Beermann (St. Louis). Kevin posted six shut-outs last season and will be anchoring the back line. Senior midfielder Matt Korte (Godfrey), senior defender Nick Milford (Alton), senior forward Matt Farnsworth (Dorsey) and junior forward Tom Batsios (Granite City) bring balance, experience and potent skills that will make a huge impact in 2010. Sophomore midfielders Tyler Carney (Granite City) and Josh Walters (St. Charles, Mo.) are among some of the promising young talent looking to continue their positive contributions from last year. Of course the team is also grateful to have the leadership and skills of returning head coach Shane Taylor, assistant coach Corey Suter, and team manager Dan O’Conner. Coach Taylor will be chasing a bit of history in 2010. The first win of the upcoming season will make Taylor the coach with the most wins in the program’s 26 year history, accomplishing this in just six seasons. The season opens September 4 at Westminster College (Fulton, Mo.) vs. Edgewood College and the regular season ends on the road against conference opponent Lake Forest in Lake Forest on October 30. The team’s home opener is September 8 vs. Webster College. The entire program is always grateful for past, present and future support from our families, the Illinois College campus and the Jacksonville community.