Box Score EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Junior midfielder Rebecca Rodgers (Peotone, Ill.) scored two goals in her return for the Drake women's soccer team as Drake won 2-1 at Evansville Saturday evening to improve to 3-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play and remain in first place in the league standings.
“We didn't play all that well, but sometimes you have to grind out a win on the road,” said head coach Lindsey Horner. “Rebecca can score all types of goals and we saw that tonight with a header and a bending ball on a free kick.”
Rodgers put Drake (6-8, 3-0 MVC) up 1-0 in the 36th minute (36:03) with a header off a free kick by senior midfielder Kylie DeHaven (Olathe, Kan.). DeHaven is now tied with three others for the team lead in assists with three on the year.
Drake was struck by some bad luck just seconds after Rodgers goal as its defense cleared a ball deep in its own territory that went in the net (36:23) as the Purple Aces pulled even at 1-1 with the miscue own goal by the Bulldogs.
Rodgers had an outstanding free kick bending shot around the Evansville (2-9-2, 0-2-1 MVC) wall for her second goal of the game in the 66th minute (66:23) and her MVC-leading seventh goal of the season. Rodgers now has 24 career goals, which ranks third all-time in program history.
Junior goalie Brooke Dennis (Wauconda, Ill.) finished with a game-high nine saves, including several key stops late in the game.
“Our backs worked extremely hard tonight and senior Rhian (Pritchard) (Prairie Village, Kan.) pulled the strings in midfield,” Horner said. “Brooke came up with some big saves and relieved the pressure off our backs tonight.”
Drake returns to Cownie Soccer Complex on Oct. 17 for a game against the Loyola Ramblers with first kick scheduled for 7 p.m.
“This was a long road trip with us also playing at Oklahoma State Wednesday night, but its rewarding to come home with three more league points,” Horner said.
