DES MOINES, Iowa – Drake men's soccer saw their season come to an end in the MVC Tournament quarterfinals on Sunday afternoon. The second-seed Bulldogs hosted the seventh-seed Bradley for the third meeting of the year between the two teams. Bradley earned the upset victory with a 2-1 result.
 
Both squads crawled through a scoreless first half. Drake was able to manufacture 10 shots in the first 45 minutes, by the Bradley defense did just enough to keep the hosts off the board.
 
After the halftime hiatus, Bradley emerged back onto the pitch with a renewed energy. The Braves' Jack Douglas was able to break the scoreless tie in the 50th minute after assists by Patrick Fishburne and Jackson Fyda. The Braves continued their momentum later in the half with another score by Anthony Calleri (62') after assists by Reed Rogers and Kaloyan Somov.
 
Trailing 2-0, the Bulldogs were forced to amplify their offensive pressure and secure the defensive side. Drake was able to cut the Bradley lead in half in the 80th minute when Brennan Rzewuski and Timmy Browning assisted Leroy Enzugusi's second goal of the season.
 
The Bulldogs were unable to match Bradley's effort down the stretch and came up just short, 2-1.
 
Both teams attempted five shots on goal despite the Bulldogs' 21-8 advantage in total shots. Sam Thornton, Bradan Allen, and Enzugusi led all players with four shots each. In goal, Jonathan Burke recorded three saves.
 
"[It was] obviously a very disappointing end to a great season," first-year Drake coach Pat Flinn said. "Credit to Bradley for their result and best of luck to them in the semifinals. As the leader of a team, it's hard to look anywhere else but the mirror when there is a misstep. I am forever grateful to the eight players that played their last match for Drake today and look forward to getting back to work with our returners."
 
The Bulldogs outplayed their meager preseason expectations after being tabbed in last place in the 2022 MVC Preseason Poll. Drake was able to merit the second-overall seed in the conference tournament in head coach Pat Flinn's first season at the helm.
 
 
NOTES

• The Bulldogs end their season with records of 7-4-4 overall and 5-3-1 in conference play.
• Drake is now 15-23-2 in MVC Tournament games.
• Bradan Allen's four shots marked a season-high and matched the second-best effort of his career.
• Bradley will advance to take on MVC regular season champ and top-seeded Missouri State in the tournament semifinals.