DES MOINES, IOWA - A pair of goals over the final 2:12 of regulation broke open a
1-1 tie propelling the Drake women's soccer team to a 3-1 victory over Indiana
State in the opening round of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference
Championship on Sunday (Nov. 1) in Drake Stadium.
The triumph was the first for
the Bulldogs in MVC Championship play since earning a 2-1 win over Missouri
State on Nov. 4, 2007, and improved Drake to 9-8-3 overall, while ending the
campaign for the Sycamores at 5-10-3.
With the threat of overtime
looming and the onset of darkness nearly engulfing the Drake Stadium pitch, it
was junior Bailey Dorrington (Cedar
Rapids, Iowa/Xavier) that headed in what proved to be the game-winning goal off
a corner by senior Shannon Schuehle
(Shorewood, Minn./Minnetonka) at the 87:48 mark. The score was the first of the season for Dorrington.
The Bulldogs capped their
scoring exploits in the 90th minute (89:03) when a long feed from senior Blair Nelson (Southlake, Texas/Carroll)
allowed freshman Laura Moklestad
(Des Moines, Iowa/Roosevelt) to go 1v1 with Indiana State goalkeeper Taylor
Nelson and Moklestad won that battle to record her fifth goal of the year.
"Indiana State made some
adjustments at half and threw numbers forward," Drake head coach Lindsey Horner commented. "They got the equalizer from a set
piece after Kourtney (Arnold) makes the save, we stop, and they rebound it in
for an easy goal. We have to
assume she's going to make the save and keep playing until it's cleared; which
is what Melissa (Lewis) did in the first half clearing a ball off the line
after Kourtney gets a piece of the ball."
The two sides played a nearly
even first half with Drake owning a 1-0 lead on the strength of senior Elizabeth Woerle's (Coon Rapids,
Minn./Meadow Creek) team-leading eighth goal of the year at the 14:39 mark. Redshirt sophomore Ali Walsh (Florissant, Mo./Florissant Central) was credited with
the assist.
Arguably the Bulldogs'
biggest save of the season came in the 27th minute (26:52) as Casey Allbright's
shot got past sophomore Drake goalkeeper Kourtney Arnold (Norwalk, Iowa/Norwalk). Senior Melissa Lewis (Edina, Minn./Edina) did her best superman impression as she was able
to get her foot in front of the ball just before it crossed the goal line for a
team save to preserve Drake's slim 1-0 lead.
Indiana State though later squared
the match at one at the 47:10 mark when Allbright netted her third goal of the
season.
Woerle had an opportunity to
push the Bulldogs out to a 2-1 advantage just under four minutes into the
second half (48:52), but Nelson deflected her corner kick to the lower left
corner.
Drake finished the affair
outshooting the Sycamores, 16-10, including 12-6 in the second half. Woerle led all players with five shots,
while Nelson, Moklestad, Dorrington and freshman Kasey Wellman (Northfield, Minn./Northfield) recorded three, two,
two and two shots, respectively.
"We had our fair share of
losses this season by letting in goals in the last few minutes of play, so I am
incredibly proud that our girls continued to fight until the end and were
rewarded for their efforts," said Horner.
Allbright sparked Indiana
State with three shots.
Nelson pulled in four saves
for the Sycamores, while Arnold made three stops.
"We have had some players
affected by illness," Horner explained.
"They put forth a brave effort today, but were carried at times by their
teammates, who stepped up to the challenge and were willing and capable of
picking up the extra work. We look
forward to getting healthy by Friday and getting a rematch with Illinois State."
Drake now moves onto the
tournament quarterfinals for a meeting with regular season champion Illinois
State on Friday (Nov. 6). Game
time in Morrison Stadium is slated for 3:30 p.m.
The Redbirds bested Drake,
2-0, on Oct. 25 in Normal, Ill.
The Bulldogs will be meeting Illinois State for the fourth time in MVC
Championship play, with Drake owning a 2-1 advantage in those encounters.
