DES MOINES, Iowa – No. 10 Notre Dame defeated the Drake men's soccer team, 4-1, in an exhibition match on Wednesday, Aug. 16 evening at the Cownie Soccer Complex.
"Tonight was a great opportunity to test ourselves against one of the best teams in the country," said head coach
Gareth Smith. "We had some very good moments in different stages of the game but didn't take advantage of them. We are delighted for Leroy getting on the scoresheet again and for several of our freshman who featured and contributed."
Notre Dame, who advanced to the third round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament, struck first with a goal midway through the first half. The Irish dominated the opening half with eight shots to just one by Drake.
Just minutes after halftime, Notre Dame struck again to extend its advantage to 2-0. Later Ian Aschieris stretched the lead to 3-0 with a goal in the 76
th minute. However, one minute later, Drake answered as freshman
Leroy Enzugusi (Marion, Iowa) scored his second goal of the preseason, capitalizing on an Irish turnover, to trim the deficit to 3-1. Enzugusi was able to sneak his shot past a diving, Duncan Turnbill, who played the second half in net for the Irish. Notre Dame scored its final goal with just seconds left on the clock.
Enzugusi and fellow freshman
Erik Fahner (Omaha, Neb.) led the Bulldogs with four and two shots, respectively. Enzugusi had two shots on goal. As a team, Drake fired seven shots in the final half. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper
Caden McCullough (Evansville, Ind.) played all 90 minutes and finished with six saves.
"They have quality all over the field and were very good in possession as well as clinical in their finishing," Smith said. "We play these games to challenge ourselves out of our comfort zone. Lots of positives to take away from the game and it is good preparation for the game against NIU on Sunday."
Following Wednesday's action, the Bulldogs will host their final exhibition game on Sunday against Northern Illinois at 3 p.m. Drake begins the regular season at Xavier on Aug. 27.
