Benny Westcott
Four-year Sweet Home High School soccer starting goalkeeper Evan Towry, who graduated this spring, is playing college soccer for Division II University of Illinois Springfield this fall. The Prairie Stars compete in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. “Academically and athletically, it seemed like the best place for me to grow and develop not only as an athlete, but as a person,” Towry said of his choice of school. “I want to be the best athlete and student that I can be, and work as hard as possible to secure a starting spot and go from there.”
Still just a freshman, Towry said he’s already second on the goalkeeper depth chart at UIS. He plans to major in exercise science. Towry was the team captain of the boys soccer team at Sweet Home his junior and senior year. Last year he was named team MVP and was an Oregon West Conference All-League Honorable Mention (he was also given the honorable mention recognition his sophomore and junior year). As a junior, he won his team’s Mr. Husky award. Towry was also one of the valedictorians in the SHHS Class of 2023. Towry averaged over a dozen saves a game his senior season, had three 16+ save games in a row, and recorded multiple 20+ save games in his time as a Husky. He had a career save percentage of about 80%.
“Evan has been our starting keeper for the last four years,” Sweet Home soccer coach Eric Stutzer said. “Despite being pummeled by more shots than any keeper in the league, he didn’t quit and came back each season better and better. He worked really hard to improve his skill set with intensive training and traveling through club play and spent a lot of time in the weight room in the off-season.” Towry is the son of Ray and Shannon Towry, and has three siblings. He credits his dad for getting him started at the goalie position. The elder Towry was on the Bellevue Community College soccer team in his playing days (the school is now called Bellevue College). “He’s the reason I’m a goalkeeper,” Evan Towry said of his dad. “He and my brother [Owen] were both goalkeepers when they played soccer, and I was just kind of led into that position. It’s almost like a family tradition. A lot of my fundamentals came from him.”
He said that so far the college game is “a very high quality level of play.” “I definitely think that the game’s a lot faster, but it’s something I think I’ll be able to handle,” he said. In addition to high school soccer, Towry played for the Eugene Metro Football Club during off seasons to improve his game. In order to achieve his dream of becoming a college soccer player, Towry credited consistency in his hard work, and practicing a lot until he was in a place where he could achieve his goal. “One of the biggest things that helped me was lifting, and putting on size and strength to be able to compete at that next level,” he said.
In addition to UIS, Towry had offers from Walla Walla University, Eastern Oregon, Bushnell, Tiffin University, University of Dayton, Warner Pacific University, and Corban. “I was really looking for a place where I could come in and play, and not just sit on the bench the whole first year,” he said. Ray Towry said of his son “He has worked really, really hard to get where he is. I’m pretty proud of the work he’s put in.” Sweet Home High School Athletic Director Dan Tow said “Evan worked very hard at the goalie position. It was common to see him out at the soccer field working out on his own after practice was over, on weekends, and even late at night. I’m excited for him to continue playing!” Stutzer added “I am very proud of Evan for sticking with it in one of the toughest leagues in the state. He has been a strong contributor and has played the position well in the face of the amount of shots he was required to defend. His perseverance in the face of adversity helped him to develop a skill set that set him up for success. He is going to represent Sweet Home well at the next level.”