TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Sophomore Rebecca Rodgers (Peotone, Ill./Peotone) registered three goals, including the game-winning tally in the 89th minute (88:29) to lift the Drake women's soccer team to a 4-3 victory past Indiana State (4-10-3, 1-5 MVC) on Thursday (Oct. 30).
The triumph clinched the No. 3 tournament seed for the upcoming Missouri Valley Conference Championship that begins play at campus sites on Sunday (Nov. 2). The Bulldogs (8-8-2, 2-2-2 MVC) will host Loyola in a 1:00 p.m. tilt at the Cownie Soccer Complex.
“That was easily the most exciting game of the season,” Drake head coach Lindsey Horner commented. “We had the lead multiple times with chances to extend it, but just couldn't put them away. On a night when either team could have ended their season, we saw both teams give it their all. Indiana State has had a hard year, but we saw the best version of their team tonight. This is a very difficult place to get a result.”
The three-goal explosion for Rodgers was the first hat trick for a Bulldog since Andrea Schmitz netted three goals in a 5-1 triumph over Western Kentucky on Sept. 14, 2002. It also marked the initial one in Rodgers' career and only the second hat trick in program history. The effort also resulted in the fifth multi-goal game of the season for Rodgers and enabled her to set a single-season school record for points (31).
Drake cracked the scoring column first in the affair when Rodgers connected on her team-leading 10th goal of the year at the 8:40 mark. Junior Rhian Pritchard (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley North) garnered her fourth assist of the season on the goal.
The Sycamores evened the contest at one in the 29th minute (28:20) on a goal by Sydney Lovelace.
Just over four minutes later at the 32:36 mark, sophomore Kayla Armstrong (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier) gave the advantage back to the Bulldogs with her third goal of the season. Rodgers registered her team-leading seventh assist of the year on the tally.
The lead was short-lived as Indiana State netted the equalizer 72 seconds later (33:48) on a score by Maddie Orf.
The Sycamores outshot the Bulldogs in the initial stanza, 9-7.
Drake took a 3-2 lead in the 57th minute (56:21) on Rodgers' second goal of the evening off an assist from junior Alex Freeman (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East).
The Bulldogs maintained the advantage until Orf netted her second tally of the game at the 70:20 mark to square the contest at three.
Rodgers' heroics in the 89th minute (88:29) allowed Drake to earned its fifth one-goal victory of the season.
Rodgers' three-goal effort moved her into a tie with Sarah Foote (2006) for the most goals (12) in a season in program history.
The Sycamores bettered the Bulldogs in shots, 17-13, while shots on goal were even at 10 apiece. A game-high six-shot performance from Rodgers led all players, while Armstrong and senior Ashlie Stokes (Sioux City, Iowa/Sioux City North) recorded three and two shots, respectively, for Drake. Lovelace led Indiana State with a team-high four shots.
Sophomore goalkeeper Kylynn Moyer (Omaha, Neb./Millard North) pulled in a game-high seven saves for Drake. Brittany San Roman made six stops for the Sycamores.
“Kylie's (DeHaven) presence and quality was missed tonight, but Sarah Grace (Nicholson) stepped in and helped our back line deal with a lot of pressure,” said Horner. “Ashlie (Stokes) was the best ball winner on the field and Rhian (Pritchard) was very good defensively, but stood out tonight in the attack with her clever passing. Rebecca (Rodgers) is capable of going off like this at any time. She's a special athlete with exception skill. She made good on her chances tonight and executed when it mattered most.”
The Bulldogs will host Loyola on Sunday (Nov. 2) at 1:00 p.m. with a berth in semifinals of the MVC Championship next Friday (Nov. 7) in Normal, Ill., on the line. Game time at the Cownie Soccer Complex is slated for 1:00 p.m.
“We are most excited about heading home and getting ready to host a first-round game,” explained Horner. “Our regular season game at Loyola was a great match-up and I would expect Sunday to be no different.”
