MACOMB, ILL. - Senior
Crystal Townley (Colorado Springs,
Colo./Palmer) provided all the offense the Drake women's soccer team needed and
sophomore goalkeeper
Kourtney Arnold
(Norwalk, Iowa/Norwalk) made the goal stand up as the Bulldogs netted a 1-0
victory over Western Illinois on Thursday (Sept. 17).
Townley snapped a scoreless contest in the 68th minute (67:44)
connecting on a cross from the left side of the box to give Drake a 1-0
lead. Freshman Laura Moklestad (Des Moines,
Iowa/Roosevelt) the Bulldogs' leading scorer, collected her team-leading third
assist of the season on the score.
Arnold recorded a game-high four saves en route to posting her second
consecutive shutout, while her counterpart, Meghan Tyk pulled in three saves
for the Fighting Leathernecks.
The win pushed the Bulldogs' record to 3-3-2 overall, while dropping Western
Illinois to 1-3-1.
"Western Illinois' backline was tough to break down, in the second half
we demonstrated patience on the ball and swung the ball very well through the
midfield and around the back," Drake head coach Lindsey Horner commented.
"Once we forced Western to chase the game, our forwards were able to get
a hold of the ball and create some dangerous looks at goal. Defensively, our midfield covered a lot
of ground and our backs earned us another shutout."
The two sides battled to a scoreless tie in the initial 45 minutes as
the Bulldogs enjoyed a 9-3 advantage in shots. Eight different Drake players recorded a shot in the first
half led by two from freshman Kelsey Pigg (Waukee, Iowa/Waukee).
The Bulldogs won the final shot count in the match, 15-8, paced by two
apiece from Pigg, senior Elizabeth Woerle (Coon Rapids, Minn./Meadow Creek), redshirt sophomore Ali Walsh (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood
Central), Townley, and senior Shannon Schuehle (Shorewood, Minn./Minnetonka). Chelsea McGeehan directed the Western Illinois attack with a
team-best two shots.
Drake returns home on Sunday (Sept. 20) hosting in-state showdown with
Iowa State beginning at 1:00 p.m. in Drake Stadium.
