For former Perryville soccer star Dayton Strattman it was a dream come true, and a first for the Pirates boys soccer program.
Strattman recently signed a letter of intent to continue his soccer career at Western Illinois University. He will be the first Perryville boys soccer player to ever play Division I soccer.
“I’m very excited,” Strattman said. “It’s been a dream for me to play Division I soccer ever since I was a little kid. It’s cool to finally see it come into existence.”
Strattman originally committed to Kaskaskia College out of the high school ranks, and then transferred to St. Charles Community College, where he had six goals and seven assists last fall.
Strattman hopes to add to his experience playing soccer and transform into a leader.
“From all the experience in high school and college, I’m hoping to add some leadership traits at Western and come in and make an impact,” Strattman said.
Strattman will play somewhere on the front line of the offense for the Leathernecks. He hopes to make plays on the field however he can.
“I want to make the best play I possibly can, whether that’s doing something for my teammates or moving forward myself,” Strattman said. “My goal is to do something positive out there.”
Strattman scored 26 goals and 14 assists with Perryville as a junior, however he certainly excelled in his final season as a Pirate.
Strattman was named to the Class 2 All-State first team in 2021 and named the Class 2 Co-Offensive Player of the Year with Payton Mathews of Westminister Christian. He set a Perryville school record with 43 goals and 34 assists for a total of 120 points that season and left Perryville as the all-time leading goal scorer with 104 in his impressive career. Strattman led with words and through his example on the field as Perryville went 23-4 last fall and reached the Class 2 state championship game before ultimately falling to Whitfield. Strattman scored the first goal in every Perryville game in the postseason, except for the state championship game against Whitfield in 2021.
Since moving onto the college level, Strattman has had to adjust his game to compensate for the faster speed of the game.
“The first part is you have to accept that the college level is tougher,” he said. “The speed of the game is much higher. You have to understand that if you don’t play at a certain speed then you may not even get on the field. There’s also a physical nature to the game in college and I’m hoping that it has prepared me for the Division I level.”
Western Illinois will be joining the Ohio Valley Conference in the fall of 2024, coming from the Summit League. The Leathernecks went 2-14-1 last season and Strattman is hoping he can help improve that record in the OVC.
“The main goal is to win the OVC title,” Strattman said. “Outside of that, I want to come in and make a positive impact, regardless of what that may be. Hopefully I can work work and achieve that.”
