DENVER, COLO. - A pair of
first-half goals from freshmen Megan Fisher (Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny) and Paige Dusek (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) propelled the Drake women's
soccer team to a 2-1 victory over UNLV on Saturday (Sept. 4) in the opening
round of the Denver Invitational.
The win extended the Bulldogs' unbeaten streak to five matches to begin
the season as Drake now stands at 3-0-2, while handing the Rebels their first
loss of the year to drop UNLV to 3-1.
"This was a great win for our program," Bulldog head coach Lindsey Horner commented. "UNLV is a very talented team who can cause
teams a lot of problems going to goal."
UNLV came into the contest ranked 10th in the latest National Soccer
Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) regional poll in the Pacific district.
The Bulldogs broke into the scoring column first converting a successful
penalty kick from Fisher at the 8:58 mark of the first half. The play was set up when freshman Brittany Schuling (Bondurant,
Iowa/Bondurant-Farrar) served a corner kick into the box to Fisher, who headed
the ball on goal, but the UNLV defender was whistled for a handball to set the
stage for the penalty kick.
Dusek scored what proved to be the game-winner for Drake in the 45th
minute (44:36) knocking in a shot over Rebel goalkeeper Kylie Wassell off a
free kick from Fisher.
The Bulldogs did their damage in the initial stanza despite being
outshot by UNLV, 11-4, and 24-5 in the game.
Freshman goalkeeper Kalena Litch
(Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) nearly netted her fourth shutout of the campaign, but
Amanda Forrester found the back of the net with an unassisted goal for the
Rebels at the 78:02 mark to provide the final 2-1 margin. Litch finished the contest with eight
saves.
"We were in a good position at halftime with a two goal lead, but knew
that UNLV would throw numbers forward," said Horner. "UNLV was athletic and dynamic in the attack, and our
defenders were able to absorb their pressure. We showed a lot of composure after they scored. We're
growing up with each game, and I'm pleased with our team's ability to improve
each week and get results on the road."
Fisher sparked Drake with a team-high two shots, while Ashleigh Shoughro
paced UNLV with a game-high nine shots.
The Bulldogs now play the host Pioneers of Denver in the title match of
the Denver Invitational on Monday (Sept. 6) at 1:15 p.m.
