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Schools

Duchesne Pioneers Prepare For Final Season in GAC

Boys soccer team aims to sweep GAC North.

It’s a milestone season for Dave Thurmer.

The staple is entering his 30th season as the boys soccer coach.

It's also a watermark season for the Pioneers, who will be playing in the Gateway Athletic Conference for the final year before moving to the Archdiocesan Athletic Association next year.

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The Pioneers swept their way through the GAC North last fall, and Thurmer wants to repeat that performance in 2011.

“We want to win it again,” he said.

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There’s plenty of reason for optimism. The Pioneers return a strong core from last year’s 18-7-2 team and will add a few talented sophomores and even a freshman to this year’s squad.

Offense:

The Pioneers graduated leading scorers Sean Hogan and Jake Woltering, but bring back a fast team, which has Thurmer excited. Junior midfielder Austin Mitchell leads the speedsters. Senior Bobby Fink, who had three goals and a pair of assists last year, is the team’s leading returning scorer.

Thurmer isn’t worried about scoring goals, though. He's confident the talent level will stay on par with previous seasons.

Defense:

Senior captain Jake Stowers will lead the defensive backfield. Stowers is the only three-year varsity player on the squad, and Thurmer has been impressed with his leadership.

Back in the net will be senior Alexi Leos, who had a miniscule goals-against average of 0.71. Of his 17 victories in net, 11 of them were shutouts. Leos will be backed up by capable junior Dominic Johns.

Coach:

Thurmer is third all-time among St. Louis soccer coaches in victories. The excitement in his voice when speaking about the 2011 season is obvious, so it doesn’t appear that retirement is approaching any time soon.

The Pioneers have finished either first or second in the GAC North every season since 2004, so Thurmer has a track record of reloading.

Schedule:

Duchesne opens its season on Aug. 27 at Washington. The home opener will be Aug. 30 against . Thurmer is proud of his nonconference schedule, which has area powerhouses St. Louis University High, De Smet and Priory on the slate.

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