SEPTEMBER 22, 2011
FARGO, N.D. - Holly Christian's goal in the 41st minute (40:06) proved to
be all the scoring North Dakota State (7-2) needed as the Bison upended Drake (2-4-4), 1-0,
in women's soccer action on Thursday (Sept. 22).
"This game has summarized our season to date," Bulldog head
coach Lindsey Horner commented. "We were
missing an edge and sense of urgency until we went down a goal, a sense of
responsibility to make something happen in our attacking third, and
communication among the players on the field. While we are missing
several of our more competitive players due to injury, this road swing has been
a great opportunity for players to step up and fill roles and deal with the
adversity of traveling this much in a short period of time."
"Although we came up short today, we were hard working, were
far more organized in the midfield and better at defending the counter. NDSU is playing with a lot of
confidence, and they are dangerous with their height and size on free kicks and
corner kicks, which ultimately was the difference in the game."
Drake was outshot in the affair, 17-12, with sophomore Brittany Schuling
(Bondurant, Iowa/Bondurant-Farrar) leading the Bulldogs with a team-high four
shots. Adding two shots apiece were
freshman Ashlie Stokes (Sioux City, Iowa/Sioux City North) and sophomore Gina Zurbey (New Brighton, Minn./St. Anthony
Village). North Dakota State was
paced by a game-best six shots from Katie Tallas.
Sophomore goalkeeper Kalena Litch (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) pulled in
six saves for Drake, while Kalani Bertsch netted three stops for the Bison.
The affair marked the eighth-straight contest and ninth
overall this season for the Bulldogs decided by a goal or less.
Drake opens its Missouri Valley Conference slate on Sunday
(Sept. 25) with a 1:00 p.m. contest at Illinois State.
