Bulldogs Split Opening Week
The Drake University women's soccer team looks to bounce back after suffering its first loss of the season on Sunday (Aug. 21) against Saint Louis. Drake was 2-3 last season following a loss and this week will be another test for the Bulldogs.
Lindsey Horner's squad will face St. Thomas (0-0-0) on Thursday, Aug. 25 with a morning kickoff of 11 a.m. in St. Paul, Minn., and the Kansas Jayhawks (1-1-0) inside Drake Stadium on Sunday, Aug. 28 at 1 p.m.
Junior forward
Emma Nagel leads the Bulldogs with two goals, four points and has a perfect shot percentage. Nagel is the only player so far in the Missouri Valley Conference to record a multiple point game.
Senior goalkeeper
Vianey Lopez's seven saves in Drake's last outing earned her the second most saves in the Missouri Valley at this point of the season.
The freshmen for the Bulldogs have stepped into their respective roles as well through two games with defender Maia Bently totaling the third most minutes on the team with 156 and has started both games.
MVC Freshman of the Week
Junior forward
Layla Kelbel garnered Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Week honors, the league announced on Tuesday (Aug. 23) for her efforts during the opening week of the season.
Kelbel scored her first collegiate goal during the 60th minute in the season opener at Kansas City on Aug. 18. The Hartland, Wis., native logged the fourth most minutes (146) on the team through the first two matches.
Scouting St. Thomas
The Tommies will be led out by their 16-year head coach Sheila McGill. The 2022 season marks the second season that St. Thomas will be competing at the NCAA Division I level after transitioning from Division III with a 4-12-1 record last year. Sophomore forwards Lexi Huber and Abby Brantner are coming off of an outstanding freshman year. Huber led the Tommies in total goals (four), assists (three), points (11) and was third on the team in shots with 20 in her 17 games (13 starts). Brantner played and started in all 17 games and ranked second on the squad in goals (three), points (eight), assists (two). She also paced St. Thomas with 65 shots with 65 including 31 shots on goal.
Drake's offense will battle against junior goalkeeper Oliva Graupmann who had 85 total saves last season including nine in a match versus South Dakota. Thursday's match will mark the first official game of the season for the Tommies as their opener against Green Bay was suspended due to weather.
Series History vs. St. Thomas
Drake defeated St. Thomas in overtime, 1-0 in the first meeting between the two teams last year on Sept. 5, 2021 in Des Moines.
Scouting Kansas
Consistency is what head coach Mark Francis has brought to the Kansas Jayhawks women's soccer program as he has been with the program since 1999 and is the school's all-time winnest coach with a record of 249-183-41 record. Drake head coach
Lindsey Horner played for Mark Francis for two years at Kansas. The Jayhawks have won 17 Big 12 tournaments and have qualified for nine NCAA Tournaments. KU has won 10 or more games in each of the past 15 seasons.
Junior forward Brie Severns is coming off a team leading six goals, six assists, 18 points and 35 shots during her sophomore season. Fellow junior forward Shira Elinav ranked second on the team with four goals. She also had two assists, ten points, and 21 shots. As for the 2022 season, the only Jayhawk thus far in their high powered offense has been junior defender Mackenzie Boeve, who scored the go-ahead goal against Northwestern on Aug. 18.
The 1-1 Jayhawks will play at Iowa on Thursday before heading to Des Moines to face the Bulldogs at 1 p.m.
Series History vs. Kansas
The Bulldogs are looking for their first victory versus the Jayhawks as Kansas leads the all-time matchup at 3-0-1. Drake played Kansas to a 0-0 draw last season on Aug. 19, 2021 in Lawrence.
