CHICAGO – The Drake men's soccer team travels to Loyola for a key Missouri Valley Conference match this Saturday, Oct. 31 as the Bulldogs battle for a conference championship with two weeks remaining in the regular season.
Drake (9-4-1, 3-1-0 MVC) and Loyola (9-3-3, 2-1-1 MVC) sit in third and fourth place, respectively, in the league standings. The top two teams, Bradley (7-7, 4-0 MVC) and SIUE (9-3-1, 3-1 MVC), are set to play each other in Peoria, Ill., on Saturday evening as well. Drake and Bradley will face each other at Cownie Soccer Complex in Des Moines on Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.
The teams are positioning for seeding to the 2015 MVC Tournament, which will be held Nov. 11-15 in Edwardsville, Ill. The top six teams in the final standings earn a bid to the tournament with first and second place securing a bye to the semifinals. The winner of the tournament in Edwardsville earns the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Drake is coming off a back-and-forth 3-2 loss to SIUE in double-overtime on Oct. 24. The Bulldogs held a 1-0 and a 2-1 lead in the contest, but the Cougars rallied to force overtime and then scored the golden goal 4:30 minutes into the second overtime for the win.
Junior James Wypych (Wellington, New Zealand) scored the second goal in the SIUE match. Wypych is tied for the MVC lead in goals with six, including three game winners. Sophomore Gabe Edel (Greenwood, Ind.) had the other goal for the Bulldogs, and he has three goals on the season, which ranks second on the team. Junior Mueng Sunday (Coralville, Iowa) had the assist on Edel's goal as he has a team-leading six on the year. Edel assisted on Wypych's goal, and he is second on the team in assists with three.
Loyola has a clean sheet in its previous seven matches compiling a 6-0-1 mark. Since starting the season with two losses, the Ramblers have only one loss at Bradley by a score of 1-0 on Sept. 19. Loyola's defense hasn't allowed a goal since the Bradley loss and senior goalie Tim Dobrowski has allowed just six goals this season. The Ramblers have balanced scoring as six different players have scored two goals to pace the team.
The Bulldogs welcome the Braves for Senior Night on Nov. 7. Drake will host a on-field senior recognition ceremony prior to the start of the 7 p.m. match.
