DES MOINES, Iowa – Freshman
Olivia Bruce (Lakeville, Minn.) scored her second career goal with just over three minutes left in the first half to send the Drake University women's soccer team past Loyola, 1-0, in the team's regular season finale on a cold and windy Thursday afternoon at the Cownie Soccer Complex.
Drake, the 2017 Missouri Valley Conference regular season champions, improved to 13-3-2 overall and undefeated in league play at 6-0-1 this season. The Bulldogs will be the No. 1 seed for the MVC Tournament, Nov. 3-5, in Springfield, Mo., where they will play in the semifinals on Nov. 3 at 3:30 p.m. against the winner of No. 4, UNI vs. No. 5, Illinois State. Those two teams will face each other in the quarterfinals Sunday at 1 p.m. in Cedar Falls. The winner of the MVC tournament earns an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Bruce's game winner came in the 41st minute (41:46) as sophomore
Cassie Rohan (Palatine, Ill.) sent a perfect cross from the edge of the 18-yard box that Bruce headed past the diving Loyola goalkeeper, Maddie Ford. It is the first career assist for Rohan. Both players came off the bench for the Bulldogs.
"We approached tonight as we have approached all of our games; as an opportunity to keep getting better," said head coach
Lindsey Horner. "Loyola is known for scoring goals and hadn't been shutout since August. We wanted to challenge our team to keep a clean sheet, and they were fantastic in protecting Haley. The wind was an obvious factor tonight, and I thought we did a great job of getting the ball on the ground and finding feet. Our goal was a build-up from senior captain Ali winning the ball, playing through the lines, and getting rewarded with a great cross and finish. Cassie and Olivia came off the bench and were an immediate spark for us."
Prior to Thursday's match, Drake honored its 2017 senior class of
Kasey Hurt (Ankeny, Iowa),
Haley Morris (Clive, Iowa),
Rebecca Rodgers (Peotone, Ill.),
Brooke Salisbury (Kearney, Mo.),
Ali Smith (Lenexa, Kan.),
Rachel Wanninger (Johnston, Iowa) and
Hannah Wilder (Wheatfield, Ind.). The group has won 44 games and two MVC titles in their outstanding careers.
"We are pleased for our senior class to close out their home careers with a shutout win," Horner said. "We aim to continue the momentum we have built in the last seven MVC games and will show up hungry in Springfield."
The 13 wins this season ties a school record as the 2003 and 2004 teams each earned 13 victories. Thursday's clean sheet is the eighth shutout this season for the Bulldogs. Drake is looking to win its second MVC Tournament title and earn its second NCAA Tournament appearance. The 2006 Drake team accomplished both feats.
