NOVEMBER 9, 2011
OMAHA, Neb. - A goal in the 38th minute (37:36) from senior Charles Schwartz
(Bettendorf, Iowa/Bettendorf) proved to be all the scoring that Drake (11-7-1)
needed as the Bulldogs registered a 3-0 victory over Central Arkansas (2-12-4)
in the quarterfinals of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship
on Wednesday (Nov. 9) at Morrison Stadium.
The triumph represented a milestone for Drake as it provided
Bulldogs' head coach Sean Holmes with his 200th career coaching victory.
"The boys did not lack any motivation as we have lost our
last three on the trot, including against Central Arkansas three weeks ago,"
Holmes commented. "We never had
any sense of self-doubt as we knew we'd be ready come the hour."
"I challenged our seniors to vindicate themselves, and to a
man, they all stepped and they all were particularly good today."
Schwartz nearly cracked the scoring column for the Bulldogs
as his shot at the 5:58 mark from the left side of the box hit the post.
Redshirt junior Jordan Stanley (Roscoe, Ill./Harlem) set the stage
for Drake's initial score playing a ball near the box before he was fouled on
the attempt by the Central Arkansas defender to garner a free kick. Schwartz took the free kick and bent
shot around the post hitting goalkeeper Patxi Shortsleeve's hand before
bouncing in for his fifth goal of the season at the 37:36 mark.
"For Charlie's hard work to be rewarded with the goal and to
give us a 1-0 lead was nice as at the time neither side really had control and
against the wind it provided us a cushion for the second half," said
Holmes. "Charlie's brilliant free
kick wasn't a surprise as he has been playing with that confidence all season
long."
The goal gave the Bulldogs a 1-0 leading heading into the
intermission, on the strength of a 6-2 shot advantage.
Freshman Ross Payne (Overland Park, Kan./Pembroke Hill) capitalized on a
Bears' defensive miscue in the 61st minute (60:05) to net his second goal of
the season and provide the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead. Payne took a Central Arkansas giveaway at the top the box
and struck a perfect ball to the corner of the net for the goal.
Senior Matt Kuhn (Raytown, Mo./Raytown South) extended the Bulldogs' lead to
3-0 delivering a ball in the middle of the box into the lower corner for his
11th tally of the year at the 65:04 mark.
"From the kickoff of the second half I never doubted the
result, it was only a question of how many we'd score," Holmes explained. "Ross' (Payne) goal was a real stunner
and Matt's (Kuhn) late burst was icing on the cake. I think that given the results three weeks ago that the boys
wanted to not only win but prove they were the better team."
Drake's three goals equaled its MVC Tournament high set in a
3-1 victory over Creighton in the semifinals of the 2009 tournament at the
Cownie Soccer Complex.
The three-goal cushion allowed Holmes the opportunity to
rest many of his starters late in the second half.
"The best part of the game was that we were able to rest a
significant portion of our team and therefore better prepare for our Friday
afternoon tilt against Missouri State."
Drake proved to be efficient in its shots in the game as it
outshot Central Arkansas, 10-6.
Schwartz paced the Bulldog' attack with a game-high four shots, while
six other Drake players recorded a shot.
Mickey Segura led the Bears with three shots.
Senior Jordan Kadlec (Hiawatha, Iowa/Kennedy) pulled in a game-high four
saves for the Bulldogs en route to collecting his third shutout of the season,
all against league foes.
Shortsleeve registered two saves for Central Arkansas.
"Jordan (Kadlec) getting his third shutout in seven games
against MVC opponents proves how good he is and how valuable he was to the team
today," stated Holmes. "He made
some good saves and we were able to protect him and that is what good teams do
for their goalkeeper. At times we
let him down this season, but the guys took pride today in giving him the
shutout."
The milestone coaching victory provided a moment of
reflection for Holmes, but he was clearly focused on the present and his team
moving on in the tournament.
"Winning my 200th game was nice as it was a milestone I
didn't even know about, but more important was getting the victory and getting
the opportunity to play again on Friday against Missouri State."
The Bulldogs will now face top-seeded Missouri State on
Friday (Nov. 11) at 3:00 p.m. The
Bears spoiled Drake's Senior Night last Saturday (Nov. 5) registering a 2-1
double-overtime triumph at the Cownie Soccer Complex.
