DES MOINES, Iowa – Drake men's soccer (2-4-1, 1-0-0) began their Missouri Valley Conference schedule this evening with a home matchup against the Purple Aces of Evansville (2-3-2, 0-1-0). The Bulldogs were carried by a pair of goals from star striker AJ Franklin as they remained unbeaten at home.
 
Drake got out to a much better start then their last contest, scoring just eight minutes into the match. Franklin collected a nifty dish from Eskil Gjerde just outside the box and promptly fired past the Evansville keeper to give Drake a 1-0 lead.
 
Evansville was able to knot the score at 1-1 in the 36th minute after capitalizing on a Bulldog miscue. Drake keeper Tommy Williams handled a backward pass, picking up a handball violation. The Purple Aces were awarded a free kick just inside the box, which was attempted by Ola Arntsen. After Artnsen struck the ball, it caromed off two Drake defenders for an own goal.
 
The score remained 1-1 into the halftime break.
 
Both teams saw ample opportunities in the second half, but to no avail. Drake finally broke the stalemate in the game's final minutes when Damian Segura lobbed a corner kick across the face of the goal towards a slew of Bulldogs. Franklin elevated and connected on a header which flew past the Evansville keeper for his second goal of the night and the eventual game-winner.
 
Both squads attempted eight total shots while Drake had a pivotal 5-4 edge in shots on goal. The Purple Aces attempted five corner kicks to Drake's four while the Purple Aces were booked for just one more foul than the Bulldogs in an evenly placed contest.
 
All three of Franklin's shot were on target. Eloge Iradukunda, Kai Knuchel, and Erich Legut also recorded shots for the Bulldogs.
 
Tommy Williams starred in goal for Drake, playing all 90 minutes and making four saves, a new season high.
 
"Tonight was a big result for a bunch of reasons," Drake head coach Pat Flinn explained. "Primarily because it's vital to protect your home field in conference [play], but also to get a little belief that we can put performance and result together. [Our next match] at UIC next Saturday will be a huge test, but I'm proud of the team tonight."
 
The Bulldogs will continue their conference schedule next weekend when they visit a solid UIC club in Chicago on Saturday, Sep. 23.