DES MOINES, Iowa - The Drake
men's soccer team remained unbeaten in Missouri Valley Conference play on the
strength of a 1-0 shutout victory past Central Arkansas (6-4, 0-1 MVC) on
Saturday (Oct. 6) at the Cownie Soccer Complex.
Senior Michael Thaden (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) accounted for the
Bulldogs' offensive exploits in the contest converting a successful penalty
kick at the 24:17 mark, for what proved to be the game-winning goal.
From there, Drake (3-7-3, 1-0-1 MVC) relied on a stingy defense and
seven saves from redshirt junior Rich Gallagher (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest Academy) to collect its
second-consecutive league shutout.
The Bulldogs outshot the Bears in the initial stanza, 7-6, while Central
Arkansas bettered Drake in the second half by an identical 7-6 margin.
The Bears nearly squared the game at one with 33 seconds remaining as
Shafial Mason had a shot from a yard out in the box that was misplayed into the
hands of Gallagher.
Manuel Montal led all players with four shots, while Drake
was sparked by three-shot performances from Thaden and junior Nick Marshall (Glen Carbon,
Ill./Edwardsville).
Gallagher finished with a game-high seven saves, while Cody Gibson
pulled in four stops for Central Arkansas.
The Bulldogs return to
action on Tuesday (Oct. 9) traveling to UMKC for a 7:00 p.m. tilt. Next Saturday (Oct.
13), Drake will host UIC (Illinois at Chicago) in the third annual Ralph Gross Alumni
Classic at the Cownie Soccer Complex.
The 7:00 p.m. game also marks the fourth annual "Greenest Game on
Grass" contest. The Bulldogs
will don green uniforms that will be auctioned off during the game. The
first 200 fans in attendance receive a "Drake Soccer Goes Green"
T-shirt.
