Harrison Stadium is home to the Springfield Central and Drury soccer teams.
Which makes the former Bulldog and current Panther Kourtney Tucker an expert on the field she calls home.
“It’s kind of strange,” said Drury senior midfielder Kourtney Tucker. “I mean I’ve been on the same field for 8 years now…It really is my home field.”
And not too far from Kaitlin Knetzke’s Ozark roots too.
“I love being home,” said Drury fifth year goalkeeper Kaitlin Knetzke. “I love being close to my family. My junior year I was actually committed to a different school and then through the course of that year, eight of my club teammates committed to Drury, so it just kind of became a no brainer.”
Perhaps the only thing more familiar to them than this field is each other.
“Kourtney and I have been on the same team since we were about 10 years old,” Kaitlin said.
From club soccer to high school and college, these two have a history of tearing it up on game days.
So much that in the same week they were both recognized with the conference’s athlete of the week honors, Kaitlin defensively and Kourtney offensively
“Getting the honor with anybody would be awesome,” Kourtney said. “Getting it alone was awesome, but getting it with her was even better. Ten times better than it could have been.”
“It was really exciting seeing Kourtney get some recognition she deserves because I’ve always thought she is incredible and I was just so happy she got an award like that,” Kaitlin said. “It’s nice for me to get it, but to get it alongside with her is really special.”
The Panthers are looking to take their talents beyond the handful of regular season games remaining.
“Our ability and talent we have on this team is so good this year and we have all the abilities to win this year,” Kaitlin said. “There’s no reason why we shouldn’t.”
But they are also soaking up the now.
“It makes me really emotional because this is going to be her last season and my last season playing with her, so it’s just really hard to think about how I’ve never had anybody else behind me in goal,” Kourtney said.
“We have such a strong bond I trust her with everything,” said Kaitlin. “I always tell her that ‘I trust you with my soccer life.’ She’s an incredible player and I am so happy to have had the past 13 years with her playing in front of me.”
A soccer life that all comes back to home.
