CHICAGO, Ill. - The Drake women's soccer team notched a key road point in the Missouri Valley Conference standings after earning a 0-0 double-overtime tie at Loyola (4-9-1, 1-0-1 MVC) on Wednesday (Oct. 8).
“Tonight's game was very competitive and while the stats don't show it, there were some exciting chances for both teams,” Drake head coach Lindsey Horner commented. “Loyola was dangerous on restarts and we looked good on the flanks. Our backline was very sharp defensively and earned every bit of that shutout.”
“For as much quality as we have in the attack, we shouldn't be shutout. We are happy to earn a point on the road, but now we need wins and points from our home MVC games.”
The two sides battled through a scoreless first half, one in which the Bulldogs (5-7-2, 0-1-2 MVC) were outshot, 5-4.
Sophomore Rebecca Rodgers (Peotone, Ill./Peotone) accounted for all three of Drake's shots on goal in the initial stanza, with attempts at the 23:46, 27:09 and 33:16 marks, respectively. Rodgers' shot in the 28th minute (27:09) may have been the Bulldogs' best scoring opportunity as she struck the ball from five yards out only to be stopped by a strong save from Loyola goalkeeper Monica Gonyo.
Sophomore goalkeeper Kylynn Moyer (Omaha, Neb./Millard North) registered a save on Loyola's lone shot on goal in the first half, while Gonyo made three saves for the Ramblers.
Loyola recorded the first three shots of the second half before senior Ashlie Stokes (Sioux City, Iowa/Sioux City North) connected on the Bulldogs' lone shot of the final stanza in the 80th minute (79:48).
The Ramblers finished the period owning a 5-1 margin in shots.
Drake was unable to record a shot in either overtime session, while Loyola garnered three shots, none of which went on goal.
Directing the Bulldogs with a team-high three shots was Rodgers, while Stoke added two shots. Allison Simer paced the Ramblers with a game-high four shots.
Moyer finished the contest with one save en route to collecting her fourth shutout of the season, while Gonyo also notched a shutout with a three-save performance.
“We look forward to a conference break and getting deeper into our roster for UNO,” said Horner. “With that said, Sunday is a very important game for us. We need to execute and compete and a result would do a lot for us.”
Drake returns to action on Sunday (Oct. 12) hosting Nebraska Omaha at 1:00 p.m. at the Cownie Soccer Complex.
