BROOKINGS, S.D. - South Dakota State (1-3) registered three unanswered second-half goals to earn a 3-2 women's soccer victory past Drake (2-3) on Friday (Sept. 5).
“That is going to be a hard half to get past, but we have to because Sunday will come quick,” Drake head coach Lindsey Horner commented. “We battled to be on top by halftime, made some slight adjustments during the break that led to our second goal, but at that point when SDSU threw their typical style out and went for it, we failed to adapt. We lost momentum and aren't yet great at executing in these situations. Credit to SDSU for the comeback.”
Sophomore Kayla Armstrong (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier) gave the Bulldogs' the early advantage in the affair knocking in her first goal of the season at the 35:44 mark off assists from senior Ashlie Stokes (Sioux City, Iowa/Sioux City North) and sophomore Rebecca Rodgers (Peotone, Ill./Peotone).
Drake took a 1-0 lead into the intermission despite being outshot in the initial stanza, 9-6.
A serve into the box from Rodgers in the 56th minute (55:24) set-up senior Generve Charles (Wausau, Wis./Wausau East) for her team-leading second goal of the season giving Drake a 2-0 lead. Rodgers earned her second assist of the night on the tally.
Less than two minutes later, at the 57:04 mark, Shelby Raper cut South Dakota State's deficit in half at 2-1 with her second goal of the year.
Raper followed with her third goal of the season in the 64th minute (63:13) to even the affair at two. Diana Potterveld was credited with the assist on the tally.
The outcome of the game ultimately hinged on a penalty kick at the 80:36 mark after the Bulldogs were whistled for a foul in the box. Madison Yueill converted on the opportunity, scoring what proved to be the game-winning goal.
Led by a four-shot effort from Alyssa Brazil, the Jackrabbits finished the evening with a 20-12 margin in shots, including 7-6 on goal. Stokes registered a game-high four shots for the Bulldogs, while Charles added three shots.
Sophomore goalkeeper Kylynn Moyer (Omaha, Neb./Millard North) recorded four saves for Drake, while Elisa Stamatakis matched Moyer with four saves of her own for South Dakota State.
“We are going to experience a lot of tight games this fall, and when we can adjust quickly to what the game needs regardless of what style suits us, we'll be on the other side of the results column,” said Horner. “Our young players experienced their first away game tonight and got a glimpse of what it is really like on the road at this level.”
Drake returns to action on Sunday (Sept. 7) battling former Missouri Valley Conference rival Creighton. Game time at Morrison Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m.
