The Basics
It will mark seven days since the Drake women's soccer team kicked off after getting the week to prepare for its Missouri Valley Conference opener at Southern Illinois on Sunday, Sept. 18 at 1 p.m. The Bulldogs went 1-5-2 in their non-conference slate that conclude on Sunday, Sept. 11 with a 1-0 defeat at North Dakota State.
Bring On MVC Play
Last season, Drake finished in a tie for fifth and was projected to finish fourth this season in the MVC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Drake is 1-3-2 on the road this season as the Salukis are 2-1-1 at home in 2022. Dating back to 2017, the Bulldogs are 2-2-2 in their past conference openers. The Salukis are 0-2 in their last two Valley openers
The Bulldog offense is led by junior forward
Emma Nagel with three goals, six points and seven shots. Nagel got off to a quick start this season scoring two goals in the season opener at Kansas City in the season opener. She is tied for first in the Valley in total goals with Illinois State's Allison Baker. Through eight games, Nagel has required full attention from opposing defenses.
Drake's youth has stepped up with freshman forward
Layla Kelbel providing a team-high 11 shots with seven of those shots being on goal. Kelbel won MVC Freshman of the Week on Aug. 23. Setting up Nagel and Kelbel has been senior midfielder
Rachel Panther who ranks third in the MVC so far with two assists. She has proven to have a strong leg with 10 shots and two shots on goal.
In the final three non-conference games, the Bulldog defense took major strides forward. In goal senior goalkeeper
Vianey Lopez has 31 saves (second in the MVC) with a 4.43 saves per match.
Scouting Southern Illinois
After losing their first two games of the season, the Salukis have picked it up winning three of their last four games for an overall record of 3-2-1. SIU is the top team in the MVC, outscoring opponents 7-5. Southern Illinois is led by head coach Craig Roberts. He owns 15 years of Division-I coaching experience with a career record of 150-92-45.
Roberts' team is built on making teams uncomfortable as their defense has proven to be one of the best in the Valley. At the helm of the defense is senior goalkeeper Maddy Alaluf, who has collected 26 saves on the season with four saves per game and has posted a .839 save percentage.
The offense runs through Liz Brechtel as the senior forward leads the team with two goals. Brechtel's best outing was on Sept. 1 against Alabama A&M. She contributed to both goals en route to a 2-0 victory posting a goal and an assist. She is accurate with three goals on three shots on goal.
Series History
The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 3-0-1 dating back to 2012. Drake is 2-0 in games played in Carbondale, Ill. The Salukis have yet to score a goal against Drake in the series (outscored 5-0).
