BROOKINGS, S.D. - On an afternoon when winds gusted to nearly 40 miles per hour, Drake sophomore Laura Moklestad (Des Moines, Iowa/Roosevelt) capitalized on a defensive mistake to score what proved to be the game-winning goal in a 1-0 women's soccer victory at South Dakota State on Sunday (Aug. 29).

The second consecutive triumph for the Bulldogs pushed their ledger to 2-0-2 on the campaign, while dropping the Jackrabbits to 0-1-1.

"The wind required us to have two different game plans and mentalities this afternoon," Drake head coach Lindsey Horner commented.  "We knew we needed to be up at half. We pressed, and Laura was able to force them to make a mistake playing out of the back and was rewarded for her effort."

The wind was clearly a factor in the contest as with it in the initial stanza the Bulldogs posted an 11-5 advantage in shots, while in the second half South Dakota State, which was playing in its first contest in a week, outshot Drake, 15-0.

"In the second half, we defended for our lives, did a good job of getting numbers behind the ball, and had just enough gas left in the tank to preserve the lead," said Horner.

Moklestad netted her first goal of the season at the 13:17 mark to provide all the offense Drake ultimately needed en route to earning the victory.

Freshman Kalena Litch (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) registered five saves for the Bulldogs to post her third career shutout. Dani Pappas pulled in four saves for the Jackrabbits.

Kaitlin Justice paced all players with a game-high six shots for South Dakota State, while sophomore Kasey Wellman (Northfield, Minn./Northfield) and freshman Megan Fisher (Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny) led the Bulldogs with two shots apiece.

Drake returns to action next weekend traveling to Denver, Colo., to compete in the University of Denver Invitational.  The Bulldogs open play against UNLV on Saturday (Sept. 4) at 5:30 p.m., before meeting either the host Pioneers or Colorado on Monday (Sept. 6).