MACOMB, Ill. - Sophomore Rebecca Rodgers (Peotone, Ill./Peotone) registered her third-consecutive multi-goal game to spark the Drake women's soccer team to a 2-0 triumph at Western Illinois (1-7) on Sunday (Sept. 14).

“Today's game was good in that we got the shutout win and played our entire travel roster,” Drake head coach Lindsey Horner commented. "There were some tired legs on the field, but overall we were very much in control of the game. We likely won't see another matchup like we did this afternoon, but we still have areas that we need to clean up prior to MVC play." 

Rodgers garnered her team-leading sixth goal of the season in the game's 15th minute (14:57) to give the Bulldogs (4-4) a lead they didn't relinquish. The score was set-up by a pair of passes from sophomore Kayla Armstrong (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier) and junior Rhian Pritchard (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley North) to Rodgers, who bested Western Illinois goalkeeper Victoria Kappel from the center of the box.

The goal represented the lone tally in a first half in which the Bulldogs outshot the Leathernecks, 7-3.

Junior Maddie Nelson (Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury) chipped a ball over the Western Illinois' defense at the 53:21 mark that Rodgers converted into her second goal of the afternoon to provide Drake a 2-0 advantage.

The Bulldogs finished the affair posting a 15-9 margin in shots, including 7-5 on net.

Armstrong led all players with a game-high six shots, while Rodgers and Pritchard added four and two shots, respectively. Sarah Wright and Tyra Markey directed the Leathernecks with two shots apiece.

Earning her second shutout of the season with a five-save performance before giving way to freshman Haley Morris (Clive, Iowa/Valley) for the game's final three minutes (2:41) was sophomore goalkeeper Kylynn Moyer (Omaha, Neb./Millard North). Kappel recorded five stops for Western Illinois.

"Our squad is improving and gaining confidence in their roles," said Horner. "Throughout the weekend, we had players each doing their role really well, which you won't see in the stats and isn't all that glamorous, but that's what we need. The whole team contributed to our success this trip, but there were a few standout performances. Rebecca (Rodgers) was so dangerous this weekend, Rhian (Pritchard) ran the show today, and Kayla (Armstrong) made a positive impact on both games this weekend."

"We now head into this week focusing on recovering fully from this road trip, taking care of some injuries, and using the coming weekend as final preparation for our upcoming MVC season."

Drake returns to action on Friday (Sept. 19) with an in-state showdown at Iowa State. Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m.