DES MOINES, Iowa - On the strength of five first-half goals, Wyoming (2-1-1) withstood a stout second-half push by the Drake women's soccer team en route to a 5-2 victory past the Bulldogs (0-4-1) on Friday (Sept. 6) at the Cownie Soccer Complex.
"Tonight was yet another tale of two halves,” Drake head coach Lindsey Horner commented. "It would be understandable if we had average soccer players or athletes that dug themselves a 5-0 hole, but I'm still convinced we are capable. That is the most disappointing part; to have potential without the results, and I say this without taking anything away from Wyoming's performance as they were hungry and better than us for 45 minutes. We demonstrated yet again that we can be good by completely dominating the second half."
The Cowgirls registered three goals in a 3:59 span in the game's initial 12 minutes to assume a commanding 3-0 advantage.
Lucie McDowell extended Wyoming's lead to 4-0 following her second goal of the evening at the 28:08 mark.
The Cowgirls, who outshot the Bulldogs over the first 45 minutes, 10-4, capped their scoring efforts with a 42nd minute (41:07) tally from Laurel Kramer.
After a very focused halftime address, Drake came out with renewed energy in the second half and capitalized when freshman Rebecca Rodgers (Peotone, Ill./Peotone) collected her first-ever collegiate goal at the 51:07 mark to cut the deficit to 5-1. Rodgers delivered a header past Wyoming goalkeeper Alex Boehm on a play was set up off a strong corner kick from senior Brittany Schuling (Bondurant, Iowa/Bondurant Farrar).
Senior Paige Dusek (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) netted her team-leading fifth goal of the season converting a penalty kick in the 63rd minute (62:53).
Fueled by a 14-4 advantage in second-half shots, the Bulldogs bettered Wyoming in the affair in shots, 18-14.
Rodgers recorded a game- and career-best eight shots for Drake, while freshman Kayla Armstrong (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier) added three shots to the Bulldog' attack. McDowell led the Cowgirls with a team-high six shots.
Boehm pulled in five saves for Wyoming, while junior Andrea Swanson (Clive, Iowa/Valley) registered a pair of stops for Drake.
"The best part about tonight; we get to compete again in two days and our team gets the opportunity to prove if we have it within us to get on the right track," said Horner.
A showdown with Green Bay is next on the docket for the Bulldogs on Sunday (Sept. 8). Game time at the Cownie Soccer Complex is set for 1:00 p.m.
