OCTOBER 30, 2011
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Kaitlin Robinett's goal less than three minutes (2:48) into
Drake's State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship contest against
Evansville (4-11-4) on Sunday (Oct. 30) lifted the Purple Aces to a 1-0 women's
soccer victory past the Bulldogs (4-11-4).
With the triumph Evansville moves into a semifinal date with
Illinois State on Friday (Nov. 4), while the loss draws Drake's campaign to a
close.
"This game was a lot like the other six games we lost by one
goal," Bulldog head coach Lindsey Horner commented.
"We got punished for a series of mistakes, dug ourselves a hole, and
ultimately we couldn't get out of it."
"We dominated possession in the second half as well as
chances, but couldn't convert. Some of our best build-ups resulted in
offside calls, and we have to be able to adjust during the run of play to turn
those into quality chances."
The Purple Aces cracked the scoring in the third minute
(2:48) when Robinett delivered her fifth goal of the season in the midst of a
scrum in front of Drake's goal for what proved to be the game-winning tally.
Evansville outshot the Bulldogs in the initial stanza, 6-4,
including 5-0 on goal. Drake
received shots from four different players in the first half.
Sophomore goalkeeper Kalena Litch (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) pulled in
four of her five saves in the tilt in the first half.
Drake outshot the Purple Aces in the final stanza, 12-1,
with Evansville's lone shot coming on a failed penalty kick at the 75:22 mark
by Olivia Robinson.
"While we were all over them in the second half, I really
thought the momentum swung once they missed a penalty kick," said Horner.
"Katie (Helmlinger) hit a laser that their keeper saved off the post and
Generve (Charles) slipped Paige (Dusek) in with less than three minutes to play
that was probably our best opportunity against their keeper out of her
box."
Freshman Katie Helmlinger (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Kennedy) led
all players with a game-high four shots for the Bulldogs, while sophomore Paige Dusek (St. Charles,
Ill./St. Charles North), senior Lauren Berner (Omaha, Neb./Westside), junior Laura Moklestad (Des
Moines, Iowa/Roosevelt) and sophomore Generve Charles (Wausau, Wis./Wausau East)
registered three, two, two and two shots, respectively.
Robinett sparked Evansville with a team-high three shots.
Chaviel Harrison and Litch came into the affair tied for the
most saves this season (127) in the MVC and when the final horn had sounded
Harrison registered six saves versus five stops from Litch.
The contested marked the final contests in the distinguished
playing careers of seniors Danielle Figliola (Longmont, Colo./Silver Creek), Melanie Fielder (Burbank,
Calif./Burbank), Amanda Wallace (Centennial, Colo./Cherry Creek), Lindsey Johnston (Lincoln, Neb./Southeast), Angela Chigazola (Santa
Rosa, Calif./Maria Carillo) and Berner.
Horner highlighted the efforts of the Bulldogs' three
seniors who appeared in the game against the Purple Aces.
"Our healthy seniors ended their career with their heart on
their sleeves. Lauren (Berner) worked her tail off on the flank, Danielle
(Figliola) was quite good with her back to goal, and Lindsey (Johnston) battled
in central midfield."
A young Drake squad will look for a deeper run into the
State Farm MVC Championship next season as the Bulldogs return 10 starters next
fall and return a roster chalked full of talented underclassmen.
"We have a lot of work to do this off-season to transition
from a young team with loads of potential to an experienced team that can execute,"
Horner explained.
