The Drake University men's soccer team defeated Evansville, 1-0, Sunday afternoon at Cownie Soccer Complex. Prior to the match, the Bulldogs recognized their 11 seniors. 

"Today was about our seniors. We want to thank them for their incredible efforts and investment into the program. They are a pleasure to coach," said head coach Gareth Smith. 

The wind presented a challenge for both teams throughout the match. 

The Aces (0-8-1) started the match with four shots in under 11 minutes, but all were off target except for one. Bulldogs' (5-3-0) keeper Jared Brown recorded an early save in the 10th minute. 

Brown finished the match with five saves after facing 19 shots. 

"A very professional and measured performance today. We played well for long periods of the game, got three important points at home, and celebrated senior day with a win," said Smith. "Evansville presented a unique challenge with counter attacks and restarts but we managed these aspects of the game very well overall."

In the 13th minute, sophomore Jaffer Murphy recorded the Bulldogs' first shot, but it went over the goal. Senior Bradan Allen attempted a shot less than a minute later, but was stopped by Evansville keeper Jacob Madden. 

Allen ended with three shots and one on goal. 

Pabolo Guillen  and Karl Mbouonbouo led the Aces with a combined seven shots. Mbouonbouo registered one shot on goal. 

The Aces out-shot the Bulldogs 19-18, but Drake registered seven shots on goal compared to Evansville's five. The Bulldogs maintained possession for over half of the match and spent a large portion of it in midfield. 

Senior Juan Louis led the Bulldogs in scoring opportunities, as he registered six shots and two on goal in his 90 minutes on the pitch. 

Smith said, "I was most pleased with our ability to build through the thirds and also maintain composure when breaking down Evansville's defensive block. We created several chances and just needed to be a little more clinical in our finishing."

Junior Louis Yuill took a corner kick for the Bulldogs' in the 62nd minute that landed in the box, at the head of graduate Declan Watters. Watters headed it into the net to put the Bulldogs on the board 1-0. This was his first goal as a Bulldog and ended the match with one shot, one on goal.

Yuill ended the match with one assist, three shots, and one on goal. 

A total of seven yellow cards were handed out during the match. 

The Bulldogs hit the road to take on SIUE on Saturday Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. in Edwardsville, Ill.