{"id":34886,"date":"2017-09-15T08:24:51","date_gmt":"2017-09-15T12:24:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=34886"},"modified":"2017-09-15T13:55:42","modified_gmt":"2017-09-15T17:55:42","slug":"royals-athlete-week-dave-drafton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2017\/royals-athlete-week-dave-drafton\/","title":{"rendered":"Royals Athlete of the Week: Dave Drafton"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eastern Mennonite University\u2019s men\u2019s soccer season is off to a good start. Last week, the men\u2019s team won each of their two games, and junior\u00a0Dave Drafton<\/strong><\/a> (Alexandria, Va.\/Howard Gardner) had a hand (or, shall we say, foot) in each of the game-winning goals.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0Wednesday\u2019s<\/span><\/span>\u00a0game against Wesley, Dave scored the overtime goal that decided the game. Then\u00a0on Saturday<\/span><\/span>, when EMU hosted William Peace, he had a pass to\u00a0David Shafer<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(Maitland, Fla.\/Bishop Moore Catholic) which set him up to score the final goal.<\/p>\n

Dave commented on his goal against Wesley, \u201cIt felt extremely special, just because it was an overtime goal. It was a pretty close game with even teams. I thought we were the better side, so getting that goal definitely proved we were better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dave has high hopes for the team this year. In recent years, EMU\u2019s men get knocked out in the first round of the ODAC Tournament, and he would like to see them get past the second round. That goal may be possible given this year\u2019s roster, which Dave is excited about. He spoke highly of his freshmen teammates, adding needed depth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole freshman class is definitely a big part of the team,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n

Dave\u2019s efforts have not gone unnoticed by his coach, Roger Mast, who said, \u201cHe is an explosive athlete who plays in an attacking role for us. Dave has shown great progress in his career thus far, in part because of the confidence that he is gaining in being able to utilize his speed to break down defenses. I am happy to see him beginning to reach his potential as a dynamic player who has the ability to be a game changer for our team.”<\/p>\n

When he\u2019s not on the soccer field, Dave is still heavily involved in the sporting world. He has a recreation leadership and sports studies major and also studies business. Over the summer he coached a team of younger athletes as a chance to take a step back from the game and gain a new perspective. After graduation he hopes to continue to work somewhere in the sports industry, either as a coach or in sports marketing.<\/p>\n

In his free time, Dave enjoys hanging out with his roommates and watching soccer or football. He also nurtures a healthy appreciation for food.<\/p>\n

\u201cFood is key,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not a morning guy, but I love breakfast food, so I\u2019ll eat it whenever.\u201d<\/p>\n

The EMU men are currently 4-1, having won four straight games since a season-opening loss at regionally-ranked Maryville.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome out and support the team,\u201d Dave encouraged. \u201cI think we have a really great team. Our attack is very dangerous, we have a solid defense. I think this can be an exciting season, and we need the fan support for that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eastern Mennonite University\u2019s men\u2019s soccer season is off to a good start. Last week, the men\u2019s team won each of their two games, and junior\u00a0Dave Drafton (Alexandria, Va.\/Howard Gardner) had ... read more about Royals Athlete of the Week: Dave Drafton<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":265,"featured_media":34887,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5591,5681,5601],"tags":[8619],"feature":[17426,17241],"class_list":["post-34886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-and-leadership","category-mens-soccer","category-physical-education","tag-roger-mast","feature-myemu-feature","feature-news-feature"],"yoast_head":"\nRoyals Athlete of the Week: Dave Drafton - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2017\/royals-athlete-week-dave-drafton\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Royals Athlete of the Week: Dave Drafton - EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Eastern Mennonite University\u2019s men\u2019s soccer season is off to a good start. 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