The Basics
The Drake women's soccer team earned the No. 5 seed in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament after posting a 4-2-4 MVC record (5-7-6 overall). The Bulldogs will face No. 8 seed Murray State in the first round of the MVC Tournament at the Lew Hartzog Complex in Carbondale, Ill., on Thursday (Sept. 27) at 6 p.m. The winner will play No. 4 seed Southern Illinois on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 1 p.m.
Shutout Streak
Drake enters postseason play with a three-game winning streak that included three consecutive shutouts, a feat the program has not achieved since 2019.
Senior
Vianey Lopez has been a force in goal with a Valley-leading 77 saves and four clean sheets to her credit this season.
MVC Defensive Player of the Week
Sophomore midfielder
Avery Mertz has been a major factor to Drake's defensive success. She was named MVC Defensive Player of the Week this past Monday after helping the Bulldogs to a pair of shutouts in the final two games of the regular season. She helped Drake limit the Racers' leading scorers to just four shots and two shots on goal combined Sunday (Oct. 23).
Goal Scoring Trio
The leaders on offense have been junior
Emma Nagel, senior
Rachel Panther and senior
Meghan Brown. The trio has combined for 11 goals this season including six goals in the last four games.
Nagel leads the team with five goals (third in the MVC) with Brown right behind with four goals. Panther has scored two goals in the last three games of the regular season including the game-winning goal against Murray State in the 86
th minute on Senior Day.
MVC Tournament History
Since 2002, Drake women's soccer owns a 10-16-3 record in the MVC Tournament.
Last season in the first round of the MVC tournament, Panther drilled the game-winning goal against the UNI Panthers.
Racers Rematch
On Sunday (Oct. 23), it was apparent that Murray State is not an easy team to score against. Drake was outshot nine to seven but still posted five shots on goal.
Murray State enters the MVC Tournament on a four-match losing streak. The Racers were outscored 7-1 during that span.
Four Racers posted three or more goals in the regular season (Lauren Payne, Mary Hardy, Sydney Etter and Saraya Young). Etter and Payne led the team with four goals each.
The Racers will not have to travel very far. This first round conference tournament matchup is played on the campus of No. 4 seed Southern Illinois in Carbondale, Ill. which is 113.5 miles from Murray, Ky.
Series History vs. Murray State
Drake's win on Sunday (Oct. 23) evened the all-time series, 1-1. Thursday night will mark Murray State's first appearance in the MVC Tournament since joining the conference back in July of 2022.
