Drake will claim the MVC title, its first since the 2006 campaign, and the No. 1 berth at the upcoming league tournament with a victory over the Redbirds, while a loss or tie drops the Bulldogs into a congested race for the top seeds in the tournament.

"We are a bit lucky to remain unbeaten in the league after a very average outing," Drake head coach Lindsey Horner commented.  "After two near goals for us in the first 10 minutes, Indiana State responded and for the rest of regulation our performance was uninspiring.  The majority of our starters were a step off and as a unit we were nowhere close to our potential." 

"Paige (Dusek) and Emma (Winstead) were solid off the bench and Kalena (Litch) was very good in goal today. We showed some grit in overtime when defending set pieces and in the second overtime we again created some great chances."

Neither side was able to crack the scoring column in the first half as the Sycamores recorded a 5-3 shot advantage.

In the second half, Indiana State again outshot the Bulldogs, 6-5, en route to a 12-10 margin in shots on the game.

After failing to get off a shot in the initial overtime session, Drake garnered a pair of shots in the second overtime period, including one at the 108:40 mark by freshman Rhian Pritchard (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley North) that was blocked.

"Indiana State was in a must-win situation, but we have to understand that regardless of our seeding in the tournament, everyone soon is facing a win or the season is over scenario," said Horner.  "We are going to catch teams at their best from this point forward." 

Sophomore Ashlie Stokes (Sioux City, Iowa/Sioux City North), junior Megan Fisher (Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny) and Pritchard each added a pair of shots to the Bulldogs' attack.  A game-high six shots from Sydney Lovelace paced Indiana State.

Junior Kalena Litch (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) pulled in four saves for Drake, while Erin Mitchell made four stops for the Sycamores.

The Bulldogs closes their regular season hosting Illinois State on Thursday (Oct. 25) in a 6:00 p.m. tilt at the Cownie Soccer Complex.

"I think Thursday's game is going to be exciting with so much on the line," Horner explained.  "I know our players are looking forward to playing at home and will respond from today hungry for a result and mentally prepared to execute near our potential."