CHICAGO – The Drake University women's soccer team is in the semifinals of the 2018 Missouri Valley Conference Championship Friday, Nov. 2 at Loyola Soccer Park. Drake, the tournament's No. 2 seed, will face sixth-seed Evansville at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
 
Drake (8-8-1) earned the two seed with its 1-0 victory over Missouri State last Thursday in the regular season finale. The Bulldogs finished MVC play with a 5-1-1 record behind tournament host, Loyola, who handed Drake its only league loss to win its first-ever regular season MVC Women's Soccer title with a 6-1-0 record in MVC play. The Ramblers will play No. 4 Illinois State at 6 p.m. in Friday's other semifinal match. Friday's winners will play each other Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN+ with the winner claiming the MVC's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Bulldogs are vying to win their second MVC Championship title. Drake, which has made three appearances in the Valley's title game, is trying to make their first title game appearance since winning in 2006. Drake also played in the title game in 2004 and 2005.
 
Senior Alyssa Brand (Skokie, Ill.) scored in the 82^nd minute against Missouri State for her second game winner in just over one week. Brand netted the winner in the 75^th minute in victory over UNI on Oct. 17. The Bulldogs enter the tournament with a 3-0-1 record since their loss at Loyola.
 
Evansville upset No. 3 UNI, 3-2, on penalty kicks Sunday in Cedar Falls, Iowa to earn a spot in Chicago. Freshman Amanda DaSilva converted her penalty kick to put the Purple Aces up 3-2 and then goalkeeper Michaela Till saved the Panthers' PK and send Evansville to its second MVC semifinal in the past three seasons. Drake and Evansville battled to a scoreless draw in the regular season meeting between the teams on Oct. 13 at Tiger Field in West Des Moines. It is the first-ever draw in the longtime series between the teams that Drake holds a slight advantage in at 11-10.
 
Loyola edged Drake, 1-0, on a late goal on Oct. 6 at Loyola Soccer Park. Drake defeated Illinois State, 2-0, Sept. 29 at Tiger Field. Sophomore Olivia Bruce (Lakeville, Minn.) and freshman Alison Walls (Kansas City, Mo.) scored second-half goals in the victory over the Redbirds.