DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University women's soccer program will have a challenging 18-game schedule for the 2017 season, 10^th-year head coach Lindsey Horner announced Friday, June 16. Drake, which starts preseason camp on August 1, will prepare for the fall campaign with two road exhibition games – Northern Illinois on Aug. 9 and South Dakota on Aug. 13.
 
"We are excited about our 2017 schedule," Horner said. "We play some tough teams that had success last year, five of which were NCAA tournament participants (Illinois State, Marquette, South Dakota, UNLV and Wisconsin). The road swing to start will be a challenge, but can also be an early opportunity to grow together as a team." 
 
The Bulldogs open the regular season at the UNLV Invitational in Las Vegas with a match against UNLV on Aug. 18 followed by a neutral contest versus Weber State on Aug. 20. Drake will close the month at Marquette on Aug. 25.
 
Drake starts September with four-straight home matches beginning with UMKC on Sept. 1 followed by North Dakota State on Sept. 3, Wisconsin on Sept. 7 and South Dakota State on Sept. 10.
 
After a road match against former Missouri Valley Conference rival, Creighton, on Sept. 13, the Bulldogs return to the Cownie Soccer Complex, where they will host Illinois Chicago on Sept. 17 and Omaha on Sept. 20. Drake closes its non-conference slate at Western Illinois on Sept. 24.
 
The Bulldogs welcome new MVC member, Valparaiso, on Sept. 30 to start league play. They will then host Indiana State on Oct. 6 and UNI on Oct. 10 before departing for a three-game road trip. The road trip begins at Evansville on Oct. 14, continues at Missouri State on Oct. 17 and concludes at Illinois State Oct. 22. Loyola visits Cownie on Oct. 26 to close out the regular season. The 2017 MVC Championship begins on Oct. 29 with play-in games contested on campuses with the semifinals and final matches to be hosted by Missouri State on Nov. 3 & 5.
 
"Our league will be a bit different with the addition of Valparaiso and two new head coaches, Horner said. "Our staff is looking forward to Aug. 1 and getting the team together to get to work. Our roster is composed of more Iowa players than we've had recently, so the team is thrilled at the opportunity to gain more fans this fall."
 
2017 Drake Women's Soccer Schedule
Date                Opponent                 
Aug. 8              at Northern Illinois (exhibition)
Aug. 13            at South Dakota (exhibition)
Aug. 18            at UNLV#
Aug. 20            vs. Weber State#
Aug. 25            at Marquette
Sept. 1            UMKC
Sept. 3            North Dakota State
Sept. 7            Wisconsin
Sept. 10          South Dakota State
Sept. 13           at Creighton
Sept. 17          Illinois Chicago
Sept. 20          Omaha
Sept. 24           at Western Illinois
Sept. 30          Valparaiso*
Oct. 6              Indiana State*
Oct. 10            UNI*
Oct. 14             at Evansville*
Oct. 17             at Missouri State*
Oct. 22             at Illinois State*
Oct. 26            Loyola*
Oct. 29            Potential MVC Play In Game
Nov. 3 & 5       MVC Tournament@
 
Home games in bold (Cownie Soccer Complex, Des Moines, Iowa)
# UNLV Invitational (Las Vegas, Nev.)
* MVC match
@ Held in Springfield, Mo.