Box Score DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake men's soccer team fell behind early to Omaha but battled back for a 1-1 double-overtime tie on Wednesday night at Cownie Soccer Complex.
“Overall it was a very good performance,” said Drake (9-3-1) interim head coach Gareth Smith. “The guys showed an incredible work ethic. I think in many ways we showed we were the dominant team. We started slow though with conceding the goal within the first five minutes. We need to tighten up our starts.”
Omaha (7-4-1) went on the scoreboard first as Logan Mendez headed in a nice cross pass from his teammate Mark Moulton as the Mavericks led 1-0 at the 5-minute mark (5:27).
Drake, who outshot Omaha, 16-8, in the game, had several close chances right away at the equalizer. Freshman Nic Jaimes (Olathe, Kan.) had a clean look at goal in the 18th-minute (18:20) blasting a rocket off the crossbar.
The Bulldogs finally broke through with the game-tying goal in the 87th-minute (87:30) as junior Adam Weatherly (Parkville, Mo.) sparked Drake off the bench, blasting a deep shot from outside the right box that hit the cross bar and fellow junior James Wypych (Wellington, New Zealand) followed with a header in the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1. Wypych has a team-leading five goals this season.
“For us to be successful we need a squad of guys who are ready to go when they are called upon,” Smith said. “Adam hadn't played a lot these last few games, but when he was given the chance tonight he was a credit to himself and his team and took advantage of the opportunity and had a high impact. Not only setting up Whippy's (Wypych) scoring chance with his shot, but also helping out in some tough defensive battles.”
Drake and Omaha played two intense overtime periods, but neither team was able to connect on the game winner. Junior Mueng Sunday (Iowa City, Iowa) had two shots on goal in the overtimes for the Bulldogs.
Drake returns to Cownie on Saturday to take on SIUE in a key Missouri Valley Conference match. Kickoff with the Cougars is scheduled for 7 p.m.
“SIUE is a very good team that is in good form right now,” commented Smith. “They have some great results against some very good teams across the country. We are looking forward to the challenge Saturday night.”
