ST. LOUIS, MO. - A golden goal by Nick Maglasang with 57 seconds left in the second overtime period struck like a dagger into the Drake men's soccer team after the Bulldogs' spirited effort came up short as Saint Louis escaped with a 1-0 victory on Saturday (Sept. 25).

In a game eerily similar to the last meeting between Drake and Saint Louis in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, a goal in the final minute of the second overtime period by the Billikens decided the outcome of the game.

The Bulldogs saw their ledger drop to 3-5 on the campaign following the setback, while Saint Louis evened its record at 2-2-1.

"I'm hugely proud of the effort tonight; to go to play a 10-time NCAA Champion on their homecoming and to hold our own for 109 minutes is very encouraging," Drake head coach Sean Holmes commented.  "As young as we are, any road game at a perennial national power is always going to be a challenge.  I think both teams had great opportunities and perhaps some our ours really should have been finished off; but to go somewhere like this and deal with a big wind for half a game is a testament to the improvement we've made over the course of the last month.  The lesson for our boys is that when golden opportunities come you have to capitalize."

The Bulldogs had opportunities to secure the victory in the second overtime session with senior Evan Harrison (Evansville, Ind./Reitz Memorial) getting off back-to-back shots in the 107th minute with each coming up short.

A shot by Adnan Gabeljic at the 107:01 mark nearly ended the game in favor of the Billikens if not for a stellar diving save by redshirt junior goalkeeper Jordan Kadlec (Hiawatha, Iowa/Cedar Rapids Kennedy), who finished the contest with a match-high six saves.

"Jordan (Kadlec) was once again a real force in goal and I thought our back four was much more organized than it has been the past few games," said Holmes.

The Bulldogs were outshot in the affair, 21-10, with junior Michael Thaden (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) collecting a game-high three shots for Drake.  Three different Billikens posted three shots apiece.

"Some of our older players feel a bit snake-bitten having lost to Saint Louis in the final minute of the second overtime in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, but tonight will go down under the category of character building," stated Holmes.

The Bulldogs were outshot in the first half, 9-1, with their best scoring opportunity coming at the 42:59 mark when freshman Brian Grand (North Branch, Minn./North Branch) got behind the Saint Louis goalkeeper Nick Shackelford nearly uncontested but unfortunately got under his shot as it sailed high.

Redshirt junior Charles Schwartz (Bettendorf, Iowa/Bettendorf) had a fine opportunity to connect on goal in the 55th minute (54:22) as he nailed a shot from just outside the top left of the box that went wide right.

Thaden registered a shot on goal at the 61:19 mark but it fell into the arms of Shackelford.

A bounding ball in the 69th minute (68:10) got the best of a Saint Louis defender and junior Thomas Ostrander (Fort Dodge, Iowa/St. Edmond Catholic) peppered a shot at the six-yard box that just went high of the net.

"What is most exciting is that despite the fact that most of our players coming off the bench are young, they have added enthusiasm and skill to our line-up," Holmes explained.  "We continue to be a work in progress, but I'm excited by what I saw tonight."

Drake returns to action on Tuesday (Sept. 28) in a rematch of its 2009 NCAA Tournament opener hosting Western Illinois at 7:00 p.m. at the Cownie Soccer Complex.