The Drake women's soccer team will look to continue its postseason run this Friday (Nov. 7) as the Bulldogs travel to Normal, Ill., to battle second-seeded Evansville in the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Championship. Game time is slated for 3:36 p.m.
A live webstream of the contest will be available via ESPN3.
DRAKE MVC CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
The Bulldogs will be playing in their 20th MVC Championship contest all-time, owning a 8-10-1 mark in the previous 19 games. Drake encounters Evansville in the semifinal round for the first time, while meeting for the fifth time overall in tournament play. The Purple Aces lead the postseason series 3-1.
MVC CHAMPIONSHIP
The winner of Friday's contest advances to the championship match on Sunday (Nov. 9) in Normal, Ill., against the winner of top-seeded Illinois State vs. fifth-seeded Missouri State. Match time is slated for 1:06 p.m.
SCOUTING THE PURPLES ACES
Evansville (10-5-3) enters MVC Championship play after suffering a 1-0 setback at Loyola in its regular season finale on Oct. 30. Sophomore Bronwyn Boswell leads Evansville in goals (8), points (17), shots (40), shots on goal (18) and game-winning goals (6). Junior Simone Busby owns 62 saves en route to posting 12 shutouts and a 0.58 goals against average this fall. Fifteen of Evansville's 18 games this season have been shutouts for either the Purple Aces or its opponent.
SERIES HISTORY
Drake will meet Evansville for the 18th time with the Bulldogs maintaining a 9-8 series advantage. In the last meeting, the Purple Aces earned a 1-0 triumph on Sept. 28, 2014, at the Cownie Soccer Complex.
THE COACHES
Evansville: Krista McKendree is in her seventh season as head coach at Evansville owning a 52-61-17 (.465) mark.
Drake: In her seventh season on the Drake sidelines as head coach is Lindsey Horner, who owns a 55-61-21 record (.478).
DRAKE HEAD COACH LINDSEY HORNER
Lindsey Horner is in her seventh season leading the Drake women's soccer program, owning a 55-61-21 record as head coach after serving five seasons (2003-08) as assistant coach for the Bulldogs.
Horner was named to her position on April 10, 2008, becoming only the second head coach for women's soccer, which began as a varsity sport in 2002.
Drake faced a challenging 2013 campaign in which 15 of the Bulldogs' 20 games were decided by a goal or less en route to posting a 3-12-5 ledger. Despite the record, Drake advanced to the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Championship for the first time since 2009 after besting Loyola on the road in the quarterfinal round via penalty kicks.
Three Bulldogs were recognized by the conference for their play on the field as Megan Fisher was honored as first-team All-MVC for the third consecutive year, while Rebecca Rodgers collected second-team All-MVC recognition. Rodgers and Sarah Grace Nicholson were tabbed to the All-Freshman team.
Off the field, Emma Winstead was named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete first team. Recognized for the 11th consecutive campaign by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) as a College Team Academic Award Winner, the Bulldogs were distinguished for maintaining a team grade point average of 3.42 for the 2012-13 academic year.
Drake was honored for the fifth straight year by the NSCAA with a Team Ethics Award. The Bulldogs were recipients of the Bronze award in 2013 after garnering bronze, silver, silver and bronze accolades following the 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 campaigns, respectively.
Horner, a native of West Des Moines, Iowa, was a four-year letterwinner at Kansas, being named the Jayhawks' most valuable offensive player as a senior in 2000. She was an all-academic Big 12 Conference selection in the spring of 2001 and graduated in 2002 with a bachelor of science degree from the school of education, majoring in exercise science with an emphasis in sports management. She earned a master's degree in adult learning and organizational performance with an emphasis in leadership at Drake.
Horner holds a Premier Coaching Diploma from the NSCAA and an 'A' license from USSF.
BULLDOGS EDGE LOYOLA, 3-2, TO ADVANCE TO MVC CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINALS
Senior Ashlie Stokes (Sioux City, Iowa/Sioux City North) registered two goals, including the game-winning tally in the 62nd minute (61:11), to lift Drake to a 3-2 victory past Loyola this past Sunday (Nov. 2) in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Championship at the Cownie Soccer Complex.
The Bulldogs garnered the early momentum in the affair as sophomore Kayla Armstrong (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier) netted her fourth goal of the season only 44 seconds into the contest to give Drake a 1-0 lead.
Stokes stretched the margin to 2-0 at the 21:46 mark capitalizing on a shot from Armstrong outside of the box that was deflected by sophomore Rebecca Rodgers (Peotone, Ill./Peotone) to Stokes, who flicked in the feed for her third goal on the year.
The Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead into the intermission on the strength of a 10-6 shot advantage.
The Ramblers proved to be the aggressors in the second half as Loyola outshot Drake over the final 45 minutes, 14-2, and 20-12, including 9-8 on goal, for the game.
The offensive resurgence for the Ramblers resulted in a goal by Moriah Schwartz in the 57th minute (56:57) to cut the Bulldogs' lead to 2-1.
Just over four minutes later (61:11) Stokes garnered what proved to be the game-winning tally off an assist from junior Alex Freeman (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East).
Valerie Gonyo edged Loyola back to a one-goal differential netting her fifth goal of the season at the 88:03 mark.
The Bulldogs though kept the Ramblers at bay over the final two minutes to secure the triumph.
Stokes registered a team-best five shots, including four on goal, to pace Drake's offensive attack.
Sophomore goalkeeper Kylynn Moyer (Omaha, Neb./Millard North) collected a game-high seven saves for the Bulldogs.
RODGERS NAMED MVC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Rebecca Rodgers was named the Missouri Valley Conference Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week, the league announced Tuesday (Nov. 4).
The accolade marked the fourth for a Bulldog this season and represents the second award for Rodgers during her Drake career.
The forward turned in her best performance of the season this past week when the Bulldogs needed it the most as she registered three goals and two assists on seven shots to spark Drake to a pair victories and stave off a season-ending game.
Her three goals included the game-winning tally in the 89th minute (88:29) to lift Drake to a 4-3 victory past Indiana State (Oct. 30). The three-goal explosion for Rodgers against the Sycamores was her first hat trick and the first by a Bulldog since Andrea Schmitz netted three goals in a 5-1 triumph over Western Kentucky on Sept. 14, 2002. Additionally, it was just 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). She also added an assist on Kayla Armstrong's goal against Indiana State.
She capped her week recording her team-leading eighth assist of the season on Ashlie Stokes' first goal of the game versus Loyola in the MVC Championship Quarterfinals on Sunday afternoon.
On the season, Rodgers leads the Bulldogs in goals (12), assists (8), points (32), shots (48), shots on goal (32) and game-winning tallies (4).
DRAKE TIDBITS
• The Bulldogs have advanced to the MVC Championship semifinals for the eighth time, including the second consecutive campaign. Drake is 3-4 all-time in the semifinal round.
• The Bulldogs have posted a 1-3 mark in tournament play versus Evansville. The one victory was a monumental one as Drake registered a 1-0 overtime triumph past the Purple Aces in the championship match of the 2006 MVC Championship.
• The three-goal explosion for Rebecca Rodgers at Indiana State 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.
• Rebecca Rodgers' effort also resulted in her fifth multi-goal game of the season and enabled her to set a single-season school record for points (32).
• Rebecca Rodgers' 32 points (12 goals and eight assists) this season represents the best single-season scoring output in program history, while her three-goal effort allowed her to tie Sarah Foote (2006) for the most goals (12) in a season in program history.
• Senior Ashlie Stokes is surpassed Elizabeth Woerle to move into third place on the all-time Drake record book for shots after a five-shot effort versus Loyola.
• Rebecca Rodgers recorded her fourth multi-goal game of the season with a pair of tallies in a 3-0 win over Missouri State.
• Rebecca Rodgers became the first Drake player in program history to record multiple goals in back-to-back-to-back contests with her efforts versus Creighton, SIU Edwardsville and Western Illinois. Her offensive explosion moved her behind only Andrea Schmitz (2002-05) on the Bulldogs' all-time list for multiple-goal games. Schmitz registered six multi-goal performances during her career at Drake, while Rodgers owns five, all this season.
• Sophomore Kylynn Moyer's 14 saves versus Missouri State equaled a school record set exactly 12 years earlier against the Bears, on Oct. 18, 2002.
• Rodgers is sixth all-time at Drake in career goals (17), while senior Ashlie Stokes is ranked seventh (16).
• On the season, Drake has appeared in four overtime contests and sports a 2-0-2 mark.
• With her three goals versus Indiana State, Rebecca Rodgers moved in seventh place on the career scoring list at Drake with 41 points, four behind Crystal Townley (45).
• Rhian Pritchard's (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley North) goal at the 63:41 mark against Northern Iowa snapped a nearly 260-minute stretch (259:39) between goals for the Bulldogs dating back to Alex Freeman's 75th-minute (74:02) goal versus North Dakota State (Sept. 21).
• The Bulldogs' 1-1 double-overtime draw at Northern Iowa snapped a run of seven consecutive regular season league games that resulted in a shutout for either Drake or its opponent.
• Goalkeeper Kylynn Moyer has turned in five or more saves in 13 of the 17 games she has appeared in this season, including eight of the Bulldogs' last 10 contests. Her seven saves versus Loyola allowed her to equal Andrea Swanson (103) for the fourth-best single-season mark in program history.
• Three different Bulldogs scored either their first collegiate goal or first tally with Drake in a 3-0 win over North Dakota State. Alex Freeman and Rachel Wanninger (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) collected their first collegiate goals versus the Bison, while junior transfer Maddie Nelson (Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury) added her first goal in a Drake uniform.
• Thirteen different Bulldogs have made scoring contributions to Drake this season, including a trio of freshmen.
• Drake's victory past Western Illinois (Sept. 14) marked the 50th career coaching win for Bulldogs' head coach Lindsey Horner.
• Rebecca Rodgers now owns the best single-season goal output in program history (12). She also moved into the top 10 at No. 6 in career goals (17) at Drake. She also entered the top 10 in single-season assists (8) with a two-assist effort at Northern Iowa.
• Drake's victory at Western Illinois enabled the Bulldogs to surpass their win total for the entire 2013 campaign.
• Rebecca Rodgers recorded the first multi-goal game of her career at Creighton (Sept. 7). It also marked the first multi-goal performance by a Bulldog since Paige Dusek netted two goals versus UC Davis on Sept. 1, 2013.
• Kylynn Moyer was selected as the Missouri Valley Conference Women's Soccer Goalkeeper of the Week on Oct. 21 after equaling a school record pulling in 14 saves en route to posting her fifth shutout of the season in the Bulldogs' 3-0 victory past Missouri State (Oct. 18).
• Kylynn Moyer was selected as the Missouri Valley Conference Women's Soccer Goalkeeper of the Week on Sept. 16 after registering 10 saves, while owning a 0.47 goals against average en route to notching a pair of road victories at SIU Edwardsville and Western Illinois.
• Rebecca Rodgers was named the MVC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 9 after turning in a strong week for Drake leading the Bulldogs in goals (2), assists (2), points (6), shots (7) and shots on goal (4) in two games.
• Eight newcomers have seen action for Drake this season, including freshmen Kasey Hurt (Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny), Ali Smith (Lexana, Kan./Shawnee Mission West), Brooke Salisbury (Kearney, Mo/Kearney), Rachel Wanninger, Addie Jenkins (Kansas City, Mo./Platte County), junior Maddie Nelson and freshmen Haley Morris (Clive, Iowa/Valley) and Hannah Wilder (Wheatfield, Ind./Kankakee Valley), who have garnered 13, 12, seven, seven, four, three, three, two and one starts, respectively.
• Senior Ashlie Stokes is ranked fourth, seventh and eighth, respectively, in the Drake career record book in shots (170), goals (16) and points (40). Senior Generve Charles (Wausau, Wis./Wausau East) is rated ninth in career goals (12).
• Thirteen of Drake's 19 games this season have been decided by a goal or less, with the Bulldogs owning six wins in those 13 contests.
• Rebecca Rodgers is Drake's active career leader in goals (17), points (42) and assists (8), while Ashlie Stokes paces the team in shots (170), assists (8) and game-winning goals (8), Generve Charles ranks second in shots (96) and third in goals (12), points (27).
• Ashlie Stokes, Generve Charles, Rebecca Rodgers and Rhian Pritchard have registered 170, 96, 96 and 69 career shots, respectively.
• Tori Flynn (O'Fallon, Mo./St. Joseph Academy) leads active Bulldogs in games played (71) and in contests started (69).
• Kylynn Moyer was the first Drake goalkeeper to record a shutout in her collegiate debut since Kalena Litch did so in a 0-0 double-overtime tie versus Iowa State in 2010.
• Kylie DeHaven and Rebecca Rodgers have started every game they have appeared in while donning a Drake uniform during their respective careers. The duo has started 58 and 36 contests, respectively.
• The Bulldogs have continued their solid play at home under seventh-year head coach Lindsey Horner, having gone 35-24-6 in her seven seasons.
• Drake has continued its trend under Horner of playing close games as the Bulldogs have had 96 games in her seven seasons as head coach decided by one goal or less, including 13 of 19 this season.
BULLDOGS HONOR FOUR SENIORS
Drake seniors Generve Charles, Tori Flynn, Ashlie Stokes and Spencer Vasey (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) were recognized in special pre-game ceremonies prior to the Bulldogs' game versus Illinois State (Oct. 25).
Charles has appeared in 65 games, including 48 starts and owns 12 goals and three assists on 96 career shots. Drake's active leader in games played is Flynn with 71. She holds an assist on two shots in her career. The Bulldogs' active leader in assists (8) and shots (170), Stokes, has started 53 of the 67 games she has played in as a Bulldog. Vasey has persevered through injuries to appear in 37 games as a Bulldog.
DRAKE GETS DEFENSIVE
Drake's starting defensive backline of senior Tori Flynn, junior Kylie DeHaven (Olathe, Kan./Olathe East) and freshmen Ali Smith and Kasey Hurt have been a key component in the Bulldogs' defensive efforts this season which have resulted in five shutouts and 13 one-goal games for Drake.
IN OUR LAST MEETING
Evansville 1, Drake 0 (Sept. 28, 2014)
DES MOINES, Iowa - A successful penalty kick in the game's fourth minute (3:12) proved to be all the scoring Evansville needed as the Purple Aces spoiled the Missouri Valley Conference opener for Drake with a 1-0 triumph at the Cownie Soccer Complex.
Evansville attacked the Bulldogs' defense in the early minutes of the affair as Allie Arguello's shot at the 3:06 mark bounced off the hands of sophomore goalkeeper Kylynn Moyer on the save. The ensuing deflection created a lose-ball scramble in the box that resulted in a foul on Drake and a penalty kick for the Purple Aces.
Bronwyn Boswell stepped forward and connected on her then team-leading fifth goal of the season to give Evansville a 1-0 lead on what proved to be the game-winning score.
Drake's best scoring sequence occurred in the 37th minute as Rhian Pritchard's shot hit the crossbar before Kylie DeHaven connected on the deflection only to see her attempt saved by Evansville goalkeeper Simone Busby.
The Bulldogs were outshot in the initial stanza, 6-5, including 4-3 on goal.
Drake came out of the intermission playing attacking soccer as the Bulldogs registered a 7-6 margin in shots in the second half, including 3-2 on goal.
Rebecca Rodgers connected on the best scoring chance for Drake in the second half delivering a shot at the 83:52 mark that was saved by Busby.
Each side recorded 12 shots on the afternoon with the Bulldogs garnering a 6-5 advantage in shots on goal.
Kayla Armstrong and Pritchard paced the Drake attack with game-high three shots apiece. Moyer finished the game with four saves for Drake.
CHARLES PARTICIPATES IN WORLD CUP QUALIFYING WITH HAITI
Drake senior Generve Charles was a member of the Haitian National Soccer Team that competed at the inaugural Caribbean Women's Cup in Trinidad and Tobago (Aug. 19-26).
By virtue of its third-place finish, Haiti qualified for this month's World Cup qualifying in the United States to determine the Confederation's World Cup representatives for next year's Women's World Cup in Canada.
Haiti came up short in its bid to win a spot in the knock-out stage after posting a 1-2 mark group play battling Guatemala (W, 1-0 on Oct. 15), Trinidad and Tobago (L, 0-1 on Oct. 17) and the United States (L, 0-6 on Oct. 20). The contests were held at Sporting Park (Kansas City, Mo.), Toyota Park (Chicago, Ill.) and RFK Stadium (Washington, D.C.), respectively.
Haiti opened the eight-team tournament for the region's championship that also doubled as a qualifying competition for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup with a victory against Bermuda (Aug. 19).
The team followed up with a win over Puerto Rico (Aug. 21) before falling to Jamaica in the finale of group play on Aug. 23, respectively. The Haitians won the third-place match defeating Martinque on Aug. 26.
Trinidad and Tobago were joined by the five first-round group winners; Antigua & Barbuda, Bermuda, Jamaica, Haiti and Martinique, plus the top two first-round runners-up; Puerto Rico and St. Kitts & Nevis.
The winner and runner-up from both Group A and Group B earned places at the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship, which will determine the Confederation's World Cup representatives.
ON THIS DATE IN BULLDOG HISTORY
Drake is playing in only it second game on Nov. 7 as the Bulldogs dropped a 1-0 overtime setback versus Creighton in 2003 on the date.
WINS VERSUS LOSSES
In their nine victories this season, the Bulldogs are recording 14.3 shots, 2.9 corner kicks and 6.4 saves per game, while their opponents are averaging 15.9 shots, 4.9 corner kicks and 5.6 saves. In its eight losses, Drake is registering 9.8 shots, 2.1 corner kicks and 6.3 saves, while surrendering 17.2 shots, 6.1 corner kicks and 3.4 saves to its opponents.
IN OUR LAST FIVE GAMES
The Bulldogs own a 4-1 mark over their last five contests, with four of the five occurring at home. Rebecca Rodgers leads Drake with five goals and three assists. Rodgers, Kayla Armstrong, Ashlie Stokes and Rhian Pritchard direct the team in scoring in that span with 13, eight, four and three points, respectively. Rodgers, Stokes, Armstrong and Alex Freeman, pace the Bulldogs with 20, 20, nine and eight shots, respectively. Kylynn Moyer has been peppered by 99 shots in that span in goal and has recorded 37 saves.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Drake is among the NCAA statistical leaders in several categories this season. The Bulldogs enter their contest with Evansville ranked 48th in saves per game (6.00), 49th in total assists (33), 53rd in assists per game (1.53), 77th in total points (93), 83rd in points per contest (4.89) and 99th in save percentage (.803). Individually, Rebecca Rodgers is rated 21st, 27th, 34th, 40th, 43rd, 45th and 45th, respectively, in points per game (1.88), total points (32), goals per contest (.706), total goals (12), total assists (8), assists per game (0.47) and game-winning goals (4), while Kylynn Moyer is ranked 45th in total saves (103) and 85th in save percentage (0.811).
YOUTHFUL SQUAD RETURNS FOR DRAKE
The Bulldogs return a youthful squad this season as six starters and 13 letterwinners are back for a Drake team that finished the 2013 campaign with a 3-12-5 ledger. Sophomore Rebecca Rodgers paced the Bulldogs with a team-high five goals last season, while senior Ashlie Stokes added four goals. Junior Kylie DeHaven and Stokes each collected a team-best two assists in 2013.
A 25-member Drake roster is highlighted by the addition of a high-profile group of 10 newcomers that are set to garner their first action on the pitch this fall.
Included among the returnees are Drake's six starters from the close of the 2013 campaign, led by the Bulldogs' second-leading point producers last season in Rodgers and Stokes.
Complimenting that duo are sophomore Kayla Armstrong, junior Kylie DeHaven, junior Rhian Pritchard and senior Tori Flynn. Drake also will welcomed the return of fifth-year senior Generve Charles, who missed the entire 2013 campaign due to injury.
Drake is also expecting strong contributions from the remaining core of its returnees in senior Spencer Vasey, who missed the 2013 campaign due to injury, along with juniors Mariah Boncek (Fishers, Ind./Fishers), Alex Freeman, Alex Hanna (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) and Emma Winstead (Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa City West) and sophomores Kylynn Moyer, Sarah Grace Nicholson (Overland Park, Kan./Olathe East) and Tricia White (Overland Park, Kan./Notre Dame de Sion).
RODGERS EARNS PRESEASON ALL-MVC ACCOLADES
Drake sophomore Rebecca Rodgers was among 11 players tabbed by a vote of the seven Missouri Valley Conference head women's soccer coaches as All-MVC Preseason first-team selections, the league announced on Aug. 15.
Rodgers, who started all 19 games she appeared in for Drake as a freshman, led the Bulldogs in goals (5), while ranking second and third, respectively, in points (10), shots on goal (21) and shots (48) en route to earning second-team All-MVC and All-Freshman team accolades. Her 48 shots matched Sarah Foote for the third-highest total by a Drake freshman in program history. She also ranked eighth, eighth, eighth, 10th, respectively, in the MVC in shots (48), goals (5), goals per game (0.26) and points (10).
PRESEASON MVC POLL TABS DRAKE SIXTH
Drake was picked to finish sixth in the MVC Coaches Preseason poll with 14 points. Pegged ahead of the Bulldogs were league favorite Illinois State (48 points), followed Indiana State (37 points), Loyola (32 points), Evansville (26 points), Missouri State (26 points). Northern Iowa (13 points) rounded out the poll.
BULLDOGS HONORED
A pair of Bulldogs were honored when College Sport Madness released its women's soccer Missouri Valley Conference preseason team. Senior Ashlie Stokes and sophomore Rebecca Rodgers were tabbed as preseason first-team selections.
UP NEXT
A win by Drake and it advances for the first time since 2006 to the championship match of the Missouri Valley Conference Championship to battle the winner of top-seeded Illinois State/fifth-seeded Missouri State on Sunday (Nov. 9) at 1:06 p.m. in Normal, Ill. A loss and the 2014 campaign for the Bulldogs will be complete.
