WEST DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University men's soccer team concludes its regular season by hosting No. 10 Missouri State at 1p.m. on Saturday at Tiger Field in West Des Moines. The Bulldogs will honor nine seniors as part of their Senior Day celebration.
The Bears (15-0-0, 9-0-0 MVC) are the only unbeaten and untied team remaining of the 204 Division I schools.
Drake fell, 3-1, when the two sides met on Oct. 13 in Springfield.
Liam Wilson headed home an equalizer for the Bulldogs just before halftime, but Missouri State responded with two goals late in the game to secure the win.
The Bulldogs return to action after a season-long 13-day layoff following their thrilling 3-3 draw at Loyola on Oct. 27.
Austin Smythe enjoyed his best game in the blue and white, setting career highs with two goals, four points, five shots, and four shots on target. His goal in the 87
th minute knotted the game at three and eventually earned Drake a point in the standings.
Luke Anderson also set a new personal best against the Ramblers, recording nine saves to shatter his previous mark of four. He faced the most shots of his career (24) and shots on goal (12), and made three clutch saves in overtime to preserve the result.
Scouting Missouri State
The Bears lead the Valley in goals scored per game (2.40) and fewest goals allowed (0.60).
Offensively they are led by a quartet of potent point scorers. Matthew Bentley leads the Missouri Valley Conference with 12 goals and 27 points this season, and his three assists also rank in the league's top five.
Bentley is joined in the attack by Josh Dolling and Stuart Wilkin, who have posted identical stat lines of five goals, four assists, and 14 points. Those numbers all rank in the top five in the MVC in their respective categories.
Jack Denton rounds out Missouri State's firepower by serving as the quarterback of the offense. He has tallied eight assists this season, tops in the conference.
Michael Creek, the Bears' goalkeeper, leads the Valley with a .603 goals against average and a .769 save percentage. He ranks last in the conference in total saves (30), which is a credit to his backline for limiting opponents' chances.
