DES MOINES, Iowa - A successful penalty kick in the game's fourth minute (3:12) proved to be all the scoring Evansville (8-3-2, 1-0 MVC) needed as the Purple Aces spoiled the Missouri Valley Conference opener for the Drake women's soccer team on Sunday (Sept. 28) 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 (Omaha, Neb./Millard North) on the save. The ensuing deflection created a lose-ball scramble in the box that resulted in a foul on Drake (5-7, 0-1 MVC) and a penalty kick for the Purple Aces.
Bronwyn Boswell stepped forward and connected on her 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 junior Rhian Pritchard's (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley North) shot hit the crossbar before junior Kylie DeHaven (Olathe, Kan./Olathe) 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.
Sophomore Rebecca Rodgers (Peotone, Ill./Peotone) 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.
Sophomore Kayla Armstrong (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier) and Pritchard paced the Drake attack with game-high three shots apiece. A pair of three-shot performances from Montana Portenier and Kayla Smith led the Purple Aces.
Evansville extended its shutout streak to six games in a row on the strength of six saves by Busby. Moyer finished the game with four saves for Drake.
The Bulldogs return to action traveling to Cedar Falls, Iowa, for an in-state showdown versus Northern Iowa next Saturday (Oct. 4). Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m.
