DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University men's soccer team made its 2018 exhibition debut with 2-0 victory over visiting Iowa Western Sunday, Aug. 12, evening at Cownie Soccer Stadium.
 
"I'm delighted for the guys in terms of their performance," said Drake head coach Gareth Smith. "In the preseason, you really lay the foundation from a fitness perspective and we did that tonight. We looked sharp and created 19 chances on goal."
 
Drake capitalized on those chances in the second half with goals from sophomores Erik Fahner (Omaha, Neb.) and Ryan Johnston (West Des Moines, Iowa).
 
"We met our objectives tonight with a clean sheet and good creativity going to goal," Smith said. "The guys created a lot of opportunities and in the preseason you're working on polishing and tightening up those opportunities."
 
The Bulldogs return to their exhibition slate Wednesday, Aug. 15, with their second of three home exhibition contests when they host Iowa Central.
 
"We continue the process, recover tomorrow, do tactical work Tuesday and there's still room to improve and tighten up on," Smith added.
 
Wednesday's exhibition match is set to start at 7 p.m. at Cownie Soccer Stadium.