KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A goal in the 47th-minute (46:41) by junior
Addison Eck (Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart
Griffin) lifted Drake (4-7-3) to a 1-0 men's soccer victory past UMKC (5-5-2)
on Tuesday (Oct. 9).
"Tonight was our best result on the road this year as we
seemed to have righted the ship, but to do it on the road, in an inhospitable
place like UMKC, is a tribute to the work of the boys," Bulldog head coach Sean Holmes
commented. "Much like our last
couples of games, we weren't as good in the second half as the first. We
got a good early goal in the half and were able to hang on for the win. A month ago we wouldn't have gotten
this victory."
"UMKC has always been a great regional rival over the years
and in some ways this is the most emotionally, challenging game of the season
outside of conference play. We
have a lot of kids and alumni from Kansas City, so the boys were well
motivated."
Drake outshot the Kangaroos in the initial stanza, 5-4, but
neither team was able to crack the scoring column.
The Bulldogs scored what proved to be the game-winning tally
when Eck delivered the deflection off of redshirt sophomore Jarred Arde's (Gulfport, Miss./Gulfport) shot
past UMKC goalkeeper Kevin Colby at the 46:41 mark.
The Kangaroos dominated the shot count over the final 45
minutes, 8-3, but UMKC wasn't able to capitalize as Drake held on for its
second-consecutive and third shutout of the season.
Led by a game-high three shots each from Tom McCarthy and
Ashley Reece, the Kangaroos posted a 12-8 advantage in shots. The Bulldogs received two shots apiece
from Eck, senior Michael Thaden (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) and sophomore Thomas Schermoly (Olathe,
Kan./St. Thomas Aquinas).
Redshirt junior goalkeeper Rich Gallagher (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest Academy)
pulled in two saves for Drake, while Corby matched him with two stops for the
Kangaroos.
"I was really please for Rich (Gallagher) to get his third
shutout of the season, it was very much deserved," said Holmes.
Holmes also offered praise to a number of players for their
efforts in helping Drake garner a road victory.
"Jackson (Teeling) came in for an injured Jon (Choda) at
halftime and did really well for us on the back line. Kyle (Whigham) and Michael (Thaden)
also were tough for us in the middle and Bryan (Jantsch) kind of re-emerged tonight
as an attacking threat as he seems to have returned to what he can do for us on
a regular basis."
Drake returns to action on Saturday (Oct. 13) hosting UIC
(Illinois at Chicago) in a 7:00 p.m. tilt at the Cownie Soccer Complex.
The Bulldogs will battle the Flames in the third annual Ralph Gross Alumni
Classic. The game also marks the fourth annual "Greenest Game on
Grass" contest. Drake looks forward to donning green uniforms
that will be auctioned off during the game. The first 200 fans in
attendance receive a "Drake Soccer Goes Green" T-shirt.
"I think these two non-conference games will be a challenge
for us, but if we continue our momentum forward, we can find success when we
return to Valley play," Holmes explained.
