KANSAS CITY, Mo. - On a day when the Drake men's soccer team was held to only two shots on goal, it was sophomore Ben LeMay (Hugo, Minn./Saint Thomas Academy) who made the most of his only shot of the game, registering the game-winning goal in the 85th minute (84:56) to propel the Bulldogs (2-4-1) to a 1-0 victory at UMKC (1-4-1) on Saturday (Sept. 20).

“Today seemed like a nice way to bounce back from such a heartbreaking loss on Wednesday,” Drake head coach Sean Holmes commented. “The great irony of soccer in many ways is that there is no way we should have lost on Wednesday and in many ways no way we should have won today. They were the far better team in the first half and we responded in the second defensively and on the attack on the offensive end.”

“To be on the road and tired after our game on Wednesday and raise our game tells me we have the making of something special in this group, despite our youth.”

The first half proved to be defensive minded for both sides as neither team was able to crack the scoring column in an initial stanza in which the Kangaroos outshot the Bulldogs, 8-1, including 4-0 on net.

Neither side collected a shot on goal in the first half until redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Darrin MacLeod (Waterloo, Ontario/Resurrection Catholic) saved Jordan Rideout's header at the 20:55 mark. MacLeod finished the game's first 45 minutes with four saves.

Sophomore James Wypych (Wellington, New Zealand) placed Drake's first shot on goal in the 66th minute (65:03), but UMKC goalkeeper Chris McGaughney pulled in a save to thwart his attempt.

The Bulldogs didn't garner their next shot on goal until the 84:56 mark when LeMay scored his second goal of the season off a defensive misplay in the box by UMKC.

The Kangaroos outshot the Bulldogs on the afternoon, 14-5, including 5-2 on goal. Wypych led Drake with a team-high three shots, while a game-best six-shot performance from Rideout paced UMKC.

“We were outshot in the game, but I don't believe we were out-chanced as we created a number of chances, half-chances, so I was pleased,” Holmes explained.

MacLeod finished the contest with five saves en route to his first shutout of the season, while McGaughney made one stop for the Kangaroos.

Holmes offered praise for a number of players for their efforts in helping spark Drake to not only the victory, but also the shutout.

“The whole back line of Alec (Bartlett), Kyle (Whigham), James (Grunert), Austin (Errthum) and Darrin (MacLeod) were terrific today and we got a good effort in the second half from Mueng (Sunday) and Ben (LeMay) and a lot of good work chasing down balls. It wasn't a great goal, but it was a great difference maker. Austin (Reutzel) was huge coming in to give us some key moments over the game's final minutes.”

With six players from Kansas City, the game always has an extra-special meaning for the Bulldogs said Holmes.

“I'm happy for the guys as a number of them are from the Kansas City area and to play so well in front of family, friends and many of our alumni is rewarding. It was a great win to get, emotionally. I know it was just a road win, a few points, but it felt like more than that. UMKC and the WAC (Western Athletic Conference) are good this year and I think they can be a serious contender for an upper-division finish as they have some guys that can play.”

Drake returns to action on Friday (Sept. 26) traveling to California for a showdown versus Cal Poly at 10:00 p.m. CT.