Looking to rebound after a disappointing loss to Memphis on Sunday (Sept. 13), Drake travels to Kansas City, Mo., to compete in the UMKC Invitational this weekend. The Bulldogs square off against Oral Roberts on Friday (Sept. 18) at 5:00 p.m., before meeting the host Kangaroos on Sunday (Sept. 20) at 1:30 p.m.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Oral Roberts (2-1-1) comes into action this week after garnering a win over Houston Baptist (1-0) and a tie versus UNLV (0-0) last weekend at home. The Golden Eagles have struggled to find the back of the net in four games as Oral Roberts has recorded only three goals. Accounting for those tallies has been sophomore forward Jarrett Hamilton, junior forward Sterling Copeland and freshman midfielder Aaron Douthit. Junior goalkeeper Andrew Techanchuk, the current Summit League Defensive Player of the Week, has made 21 saves this season and owns a 0.47 goals-against-average.
UMKC (1-3-0) opens its home campaign this weekend hosting the UMKC Invitational with Drake, Oral Roberts and Loyola. Despite their record, the Kangaroos won the UAB "Soccer For A Cure" Classic this past weekend on goal differential over the Bulldogs. Freshman forward David Sarabia leads the team in goals (3) and was selected as the Summit League Offensive Player of the Week after registering a hat trick in UMKC's 3-1 victory over Memphis last Friday (Sept. 11). Junior goalkeeper has pulled in 19 saves for the Kangaroos this year.
SERIES HISTORY
The Bulldogs will encounter UMKC and Oral Roberts for the 22nd and seventh times, respectively, when they meet this week. Drake owns a 14-5-2 series advantage over the Kangaroos, while maintaining a 4-1-1 mark against the Golden Eagles.
THE COACHES
Oral Roberts: Steve Hayes is in his 12th year directing the Golden Eagles and owns a 86-99-14 record (.467).
UMKC: Rick Benben is in his 12th campaign at the helm of the Kangaroo program and holds an 84-106-19 mark (.447).
Drake: In his 12th season on the Drake sidelines as head coach is Sean Holmes, who owns an 90-97-22 mark (.483), including 168-123-24 (.571), overall in his 17th year as a head coach.
DRAKE HEAD COACH SEAN HOLMES
Sean Holmes was named head coach at Drake in 1998 and is in his 12th season at the helm of the Drake men's soccer program. Under Holmes, the Bulldogs have posted an 90-97-22 record and have built a legacy of excellence on Drake's campus and in the Missouri Valley Conference. Holmes is dedicated to the ideal of developing the whole student-athlete.
Holmes led the Bulldogs to a school-record 13-5-1 mark in 2008, including six-consecutive shutouts to open the season. Drake finished second in the MVC with a 4-1-0 record and made its first-ever NCAA tournament appearance, receiving an at-large bid. The Bulldogs were nationally ranked for the final 11 weeks of the season.
Holmes came to Drake after serving as the top assistant at conference-rival Evansville from 1995-98. During his tenure at Evansville, the Aces compiled a 47-30-6 record, winning the 1996 MVC championship. The team, which he helped build, garnered an NCAA Tournament berth and a top-20 ranking.
Holmes was head coach at Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan., from 1989-93, compiling a 78-26-2 record, leading the 1991, 1992 and 1993 teams to NAIA District 10 championships. Holmes also served as director of the Olympic Development Program in Kansas for two years.
Holmes was named NAIA Midwest Coach of the Year in 1992, and NAIA District 10 Coach of the Year in 1992 and 1993. He was the Heart of America Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1990 and 1991.
Holmes holds a USSF 'A' level coaching license and is a member of the Region II staff for the Olympic Development Program. He serves as a staff coach for the Iowa Soccer Association, and also served as age group coach for both the 1978 and 1984 Region II teams. He was an assistant coach at the 1994 U.S. Olympic Sports Festival in St. Louis, Mo.
MARCHING TOWARDS BULLDOG HISTORY
Senior Garrett Webb (Prairie Village, Kan./Shawnee Mission East) has registered 21 career goals in 62 career games, good for eighth all-time at Drake. He is three goals from surpassing Jesse Baker (23/2002-05) and Eric Wilson (1994-98) for sixth place. Webb also ranks eighth in career points (53) and 10th in assists (11) for the Bulldogs and with his fifth shot against UAB on Sept. 11 moved into a tie with Chris Scanlon (1997-2000) for 10th all-time at Drake with 121 career shots. Junior Matt Kuhn (Raytown, Mo./Raytown South) sits eighth in career assists (13), while senior Kevin Shrout (Lee's Summit, Mo./Lee's Summit) has recorded 112 career shots and is nine away from breaking into the top-10. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Michael Drozd (Harwood Heights, Ill./Loyola Academy) ranks fifth, fifth, eighth and ninth, respectively, in wins (15), shutouts (7), game played (23) and saves (64).
BULLDOGS BITES
• As a team, Drake ranks 30th and 59th, respectively, in the NCAA in scoring offense (2.0) and shutout percentage (0.40).
• Individually, Garrett Webb is 74th in the NCAA in goals per game (0.6).
• After registering five shutouts a year ago, Michael Drozd picked up where he left off last season as he pitched a pair of shutouts against DePaul (2-0) and Marquette (2-0).
• Drozd also made his mark on Drake's 2-0 victory over the Golden Eagles as he earned the assist on Matt Kuhn's game-winning goal.
• Kevin Shrout converted on his first career regular season penalty against Marquette.
• Webb turned in his third multi-goal game of his career with his two tallies against DePaul.
DRAKE FOURTH IN NSCAA MIDWEST REGIONAL POLL
The Bulldogs enter the week ranked fourth in the latest NSCAA Midwest Regional poll released on Monday (Sept. 14). Drake is rated behind Kentucky and Missouri Valley Conference rivals Bradley and Creighton. Rounding out the top-10 are Southern Methodist, Memphis, UAB, Tulsa, Evansville and Oakland.
IN OUR LAST MEETINGS
Drake 2, Oral Roberts 1 (Sept. 26, 2008)
TULSA, OKLA. - Tony Weber's first collegiate goal proved to be the difference in lifting No. 21 Drake to a 2-1 victory at Oral Roberts.
A header by Luke Gorczyca (Overland Park, Kan./St. Thomas Aquinas), off a feed by Brian Wurst (Kansas City, Mo./Park Hill South), in the 43rd minute staked Drake to a 1-0 lead.
The Bulldogs outshot Oral Roberts, 19-10, while recording 12 shots on goal.
Weber's goal came at the 71:28 mark, but 40 seconds later Oral Roberts responded with a tally by Vince Tizzone to account for the final margin.
Gorczyca, Kenan Malicevic (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Cedar Valley) and Hunter Kennedy (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Washington) led Drake with three shots apiece.
Gorczyca, Malicevic, Weber and Kevin Shrout each had two shots on goal.
Michael Drozd went the distance in goal for the Bulldogs, recording four saves.
UMKC 4, Drake 3 (Sept. 30, 2008)
KANSAS CITY, MO. - UMKC scored two goals in a three-minute flurry in the second half to rally for a 4-3 victory past No. 19 Drake.
The winning goal, by junior Bryan Perez, came at the 59:14 mark to a cap a hat-trick performance.
The incident-marred game saw 28 fouls called, including 15 on Drake.
The Kangaroos had tied the score at 3-3 at 56:06 on a goal by Caleb Mitchell before the heroics from Perez.
Drake jumped to a 2-0 lead in the opening 16 minutes of the match.
A rocket shot from the left wing by Kevin Shrout opened Drake's scoring at the 15:28 mark. Thirty-nine seconds later, the Bulldogs increased their margin to 2-0 on a goal by Hunter Kennedy off a feed from Garrett Webb.
After two goals by Perez tied the score at 2-2, Luke Gorczyca gave the Bulldogs their final lead of the game at the 35:18 mark following a feed by Matt Kuhn.
Drake nearly doubled UMKC in shots, 17-10. The Bulldogs also had seven shots on goal. Shrout led Drake with four shots, including two on goal.
Gorczyca, Kennedy, Tony Weber and Brian Wurst each had two shots.
WEBB AND SHROUT NAMED TO HERMANN WATCH LIST
Drake men's soccer seniors Garrett Webb and Kevin Shrout were among those named to the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy Watch List, considered the highest individual honor in intercollegiate soccer.
They became the first Drake players to be named to the list in program history, while placing them among 38 Division I student-athletes that comprise the 2009 Watch List. Drake was one of five schools nationally to place two student-athletes on this prestigious list, joining Monmouth, Tulsa, UCLA and Wake Forest. Only Creighton and Loyola of Maryland had more nominees with three apiece.
The recipients of the MAC's Hermann Trophy are selected by Division I head coaches who are current members of the NSCAA. Fifteen semifinalists are to be selected by a coaches committee in November, with three finalists announced in early December. The finalists will be invited to the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis, Mo., for a news conference on Jan. 8, 2010, where the winner will be announced with a presentation banquet following.
HERMANN AWARD UPDATE
Garrett Webb and Kevin Shrout, Drake's Hermann Award candidates, continue to shine for the Bulldogs this season as the duo is either leading or ranked in the top-three on the team in every offensive category.
Garrett Webb
2009 - Has started all five games and leads the Bulldogs in goals (3), points (6) and shots on goal (7), while ranking second in shots (10) and game-winners (1)...netted both goals in Drake's 2-0 season-opening victory over DePaul...accounted for the Bulldogs' lone tally against No. 22 Michigan...owns the top individual game marks for Drake in points (4) and goals (2), while recording a team season-best five shots in a 2-1 win at UAB.
Kevin Shrout
2009 - Has started all five contests for Drake and leads the team in shots (11) and assists (1), while sitting second in shots on goal (4) and third in goals (1) and points (3)...first goal of the season came after he converted a successful penalty kick versus Marquette...registered a team season-high five shots against No. 22 Michigan...added four shots in a 2-0 victory over Marquette.
DRAKE SOCCER GOES GREEN
The Bulldog held the inaugural Drake Soccer Goes Green event defeating DePaul, 2-0, on Sept. 1 at the Cownie Sports Complex.
The first 200 fans in attendance at the game received a reusable grocery bag sporting the Drake Soccer logo courtesy of Hy-Vee.
The team also wore green uniforms in conjunction with the event that were auctioned off during the game with proceeds benefiting the Iowa Renewable Energy Association (I-Renew), enrgPATH and the Center on Sustainable Communities.
BULLDOGS PICKED SECOND IN MVC RACE WITH LEAGUE-BEST FIVE PLAYERS GARNERING PRESEASON HONORS
The Missouri Valley Conference released its 2009 Preseason Men's Soccer Coaches Poll on Aug. 18 and the nationally-ranked Drake program was tabbed to finish second, while placing a league-best five players on the preseason All-MVC squad.
The Bulldogs, who return a conference-high 10 starters, garnered 27 points, including one first-place vote to outdistance Evansville (23 points), Missouri State (18 points, one first-place vote), Bradley (15 points) and Eastern Illinois (nine points). Creighton was selected as the preseason favorite to win the league crown with 34 points and four first-place tallies.
Drake senior defender Julien Edwards (Ottawa, Ontario/De La Salle), senior midfielder Luke Gorczyca, junior midfielder Matt Kuhn, senior midfielder Kevin Shrout and senior forward Garrett Webb were among 14 players named by a vote of the six MVC head men's soccer coaches to the All-MVC Preseason team.
It marked the second consecutive season that Gorczyca, Shrout and Webb have been recognized on the preseason unit.
WINS VERSUS LOSSES
In their three victories this season, the Bulldogs are averaging 13.3 shots, 8.0 corner kicks and 2.0 saves, while their opponents garner 6.3 shots, 5.0 corner kicks and 3.3 saves. In its two setbacks, Drake is recording 12.5 shots, 6.0 corners and 1.0 save, while seeing the opposition average 10.0 shots, 2.3 corners and 2.7 saves per game.
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs travel to Evanston, Ill., for an encounter with No. 14/25 Northwestern on Sept. 25. Game time against the Wildcats is slated for 5:00 p.m.
