DES MOINES, Iowa - On the
night when junior goalkeeper Kalena Litch (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) set the all-time saves record at Drake, it
was a goal by junior Generve Charles
(Wausau, Wis./Wausau East) in the 8th minute (7:52) that propelled the Bulldogs
(7-2) to a 1-0 shutout victory past Northern Colorado (2-4-1) on Friday (Sept.
14) at the Cownie Soccer Complex.
The triumph extended Drake's winning streak to five-straight games, the
longest such streak since the Bulldogs rolled off six-consecutive victories
during the 2008 campaign.
Charles' goal, her third of the season, was set-up by the play of
freshman Rhian Pritchard (Overland
Park, Kan./Blue Valley North) and sophomore Ashlie Stokes (Sioux City, Iowa/Sioux City North).
The Bulldogs outshot the Bears in the initial stanza, 6-5, but were
forced to withstand an 8-1 shot barrage in the final period to collect the
victory.
With her second save of the game at 33:36 mark of the first half, Litch
surpassed Jenny Schroeder (2006-08) to become Drake's all-time leader in career
saves with 259. She finished the
contest with a game-high four saves en route to posting her third shutout of the year. Natalie D'Adamio recorded two stops for the Bears.
Stokes and senior Laura Moklestad
(Des Moines, Iowa/Roosevelt) paced the Bulldog' attack with two shots apiece,
while Rebecca Lancia led Northern Colorado with a game-high three shots.
Drake returns to action on Sunday (Sept. 16) with a 1:00 p.m. matinee
affair against Eastern Illinois at the Cownie Soccer Complex.
*****
A youth soccer is being held this weekend at the Cownie Soccer Complex
this weekend so Drake fans are advised to arrive early, as parking will be at a
premium.
