VALPARAISO, Ind. – The Drake University men's soccer team continued its hot streak with a 2-0 victory over Valparaiso on Wednesday night. Austin Smythe scored in the 18^th minute before Leroy Enzugusi added an insurance goal in the 80^th minute to seal the Bulldogs' fourth-straight win.
 
Goalkeeper Luke Anderson, the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week, collected four saves en route to his fourth clean sheet in a row.
 
"We continue to grow and improve with each and every game," said Drake head coach Gareth Smith. "Overall we are happy with our progress with two very strong conference performances, another clean sheet, and another three difficult points on the road to a tough opponent."
 
The Bulldogs applied pressure from the outset, blasting four shots in the game's first six minutes. Antonio Sanchez put a shot on frame in the 5^th minute that had to be cleared off the line by a Valparaiso defender, and Smythe forced a remarkable reaction save on a breakaway opportunity in the 12^th minute.
 
"Valparaiso is a difficult place to go and get a result on the road, especially midweek," Smith said. "We started the game with a great tempo and intensity and controlled the match through good, purposeful possession for the first 25 minutes."
 
Drake's early control culminated in Smythe's 18^th-minute goal. Enzugusi hit Smythe with a clever through ball that Smythe gathered between two defenders. The Cincinnati native accelerated past the defense and beat the keeper with a sizzler into the lower-right corner for his second goal of the season.
 
"Credit Valparaiso as they adjusted their strategy and raised their intensity through good pressing and fought their way back into the match," Smith said. "It's not possible to dominate against good conference opponents for the whole game, so I thought we managed the lead well throughout the rest of the first half."
 
The Bulldogs started the second half as aggressively as they did the first 45 minutes. Enzugusi was robbed of a goal in the 58^th minute as a Valparaiso defender sprawled in the 6-yard box to clear the junior forward's shot off the line.
 
The Crusaders couldn't hold Enzugusi back for long, however, as he struck in the 80^th minute. Enzugusi collected a long advancing pass and evaded the goalkeeper, who had aggressively come off his line. The Marion, Iowa, native regained control of the ball near the left edge of the 18-yard box before firing home his team-best fourth goal of the season.
 
"We are maturing in our attacking phase," Smith said. "While it was a tough battle throughout the second half, I think we showed good resilience to resist their pressure and then go on to create our second goal to close out the result."
 
Outside of his assist and goal, Enzugusi frustrated the Crusader defense into committing numerous fouls. In a 12-minute stretch in the second half, Enzugusi earned three free kicks from dangerous areas.
 
"We had lots of very good moments throughout the second half that we have been working on in training," Smith said. "As a result it is great to see Austin and Leroy on the score sheet again."
 
Drake extended its clean sheet streak to four games thanks to another stellar effort by Anderson and his back line. Anderson made a key save in the 10^th minute when he anticipated the action and proactively came off his line to swallow up a shot in the box.
 
On Tuesday, senior defender Liam Wilson earned a spot on the College Soccer News National Team of the Week, and his play tonight reinforced the selection. His highlight came in the 68^th minute when he and Antonio Melendez combined to corral a Valparaiso attacker before he could unleash a shot in the box.
 
Drake (5-3-0, 2-0-0 MVC) will puts its four-game winning streak on the line on Sunday when it hosts Loyola. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Cownie Soccer Complex.
 
"There is still room for growth, and I think we need to continue to mature in how we manage the lead and close out games during the final stages," Smith said. "We are delighted that we have performed well and earned a total of six points from our first two matches. Now we turn our attention to Loyola this weekend at home."