KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Drake University men's soccer team blanked UMKC, 3-0, Tuesday night, Sept. 4 at the Durwood Soccer Stadium and Recreational Field.
 
Drake (3-1-0) and UMKC (1-3-0) waited out a 30-minute lighting delay in the first half and after halftime the Bulldogs scored their three goals in the span of 15 minutes for their third consecutive victory and ninth-straight win over the Kangaroos in the all-time series.
 
Leroy Enzugusi (Marion, Iowa), Alex Peterson (Duluth, Minn.) and Cole Poppen (Ankeny, Iowa) each scored one goal for Drake. Goalkeeper Jared Brown (Aurora, Ontario) made one save and earned his first clean sheet for the Bulldogs.
 
Peterson tallied the first goal in the 53rd minute (53:55) after a free kick by Cole Poppen (Ankeny, Iowa) made it into the box and Peterson blasted it into the net for his first goal of 2018. Exactly five minutes (58:55) later, Enzugusi collected a pass from Steven Enna (Overland Park, Kan.), who Brown had sent a long ball to, and Enzugusi slid it into the back of the net. In the 68^th minute (68:19), Enzugusi's speed in the open field set up Poppen for the final goal when Enzugusi beat the Roos' defense and delivered a pass to Poppen, who buried it for his first goal as a Bulldog.
 
Drake held UMKC without a shot in the first half and nine in the game. The Kangaroos managed just one shot on goal. Enna's two assists is a career-best in a single game.
 
Following Tuesday's road game in Kansas City, Drake returns to the Cownie Soccer Complex Friday versus DePaul. First kick with the Blue Demons is set for 7 p.m.

"On the road at UMKC is always a tough game as they are a very good ball possession team who make it difficult for their opponent," head coach Gareth Smith. "Tonight was a different type of test and we challenged the players to maintain the same level of intensity, drive, and tactical discipline as we have for our previous games. We are delighted with tonight's result for a number of reasons. Our first half performance was flawless from a defensive perspective as we restricted UMKC to no shots on goal. However we knew we needed to be sharper and more intelligent  in our movement in the midfield and final third in order to take advantage of the chances we created. At halftime we made a few tactical adjustments and challenged the players to get into more dangerous areas and find a way to win, and we did! It was great to see Alex Peterson get on the score sheet as he has been a real threat from set pieces. Leroy was fantastic again this evening, creating a number of chances and also getting in on the goals as well. Cole Poppen also took a big step and is producing and end product to him midfield performances. We would like to give a huge thank you to all of the bulldog support we had at the game this evening. It was like playing a home game on the road!"