Quick Kicks
-Drake women's soccer welcomes Southern Illinois to Drake Stadium for its Mental Health Matters Game on Thursday, Sept. 21. The Bulldogs will wear green uniforms (the official color of Mental Health Awareness). On Sunday (Sept. 24), the Bulldogs will play away from home for the first time since Aug. 20 at UIC, with a 1 p.m. kickoff in the Windy City.
-Drake ended UNI's eight-match unbeaten streak on Sunday and saddled the Panthers with their first loss of the season in a 2-1 positive result for the Bulldogs. The 2-1 decision was Drake's first win this season that wasn't a shutout.
-The Bulldogs are now 11-9-2 in conference openers. The MVC opening victory this past Sunday was Drake's first since Sept. 23, 2018 at Valparaiso.
-The Bulldogs have not lost to UNI in Des Moines since Oct. 13, 2013.
-Drake's five wins match last year's win total when the Bulldogs finished the 2022 season with a 5-8-6 overall record.
-Zoey Mahoney scored her first collegiate goal on a flip throw-in that bounced off of the UNI keeper's hands into the back of the net. It was the No. 1 play on SportsCenter's Top 10 and was featured on Good Morning America. Mahoney is tied for first in the MVC with three assists.
-Emma Nagel has scored a team-best five goals this season and is up to 14 career goals after her game-winner in the 58th minute against UNI. Nagel ranks second in the MVC in points (11) and tied for second in the league with her five goals.
-Angela Gutierrez recorded her second assist of the season on Sunday and first since the season opener versus Parkside.
-Nagel (Player of the Week) and Mahoney (Defender of the Week) both earned Missouri Valley Conference weekly awards on Tuesday, Sept. 19.
-As a team, the Bulldogs rank second in points (43), goals (15), assists (13) and shutouts (4).

Broadcast Information
Both games on Thursday and Sunday will stream live on ESPN+. 
 
Scouting Southern Illinois
The Salukis are 1-4-3 overall and haven't won since the season opener against Jackson State on Aug. 17. Southern Illinois is coming off a 1-0 loss to UIC last Sunday.
 
Senior forward McKensey Bunch leads the Salukis with three goals this season while fifth-year midfielder Kaitlin DuCharme had added two goals and an assist while playing the full 90 minutes in the past six contests.
 
Graeme Orr enters his first season as the SIU head women's soccer coach after 12 seasons at Division-II West Alabama, where he posted a 115-78-19 record. 
 
Series History vs. Southern Illinois
Since the SIU women's soccer program began in 2019, Drake is 1-0-2 versus the Salukis including a 2-2 draw last season in Carbondale on Sept. 18, 2022.

Scouting UIC
UIC enters the week, 2-4-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play following the 1-0 shutout of SIU in Carbondale on Sunday. The Flames travel to UNI on Thursday before heading south to Des Moines. 
 
Midfielder Emmy Higgins is the reigning MVC Freshman of the Week as sophomore midfielder Makenna Maloy is the leading scorer for the Flames with two goals and three assists. 

David Nikolic is in his third season leading the Flames with a 9-22-11 overall mark. 
 
Series History vs. UIC
Drake leads the head-to-head series, 2-1 after a 2-0 loss to the Flames in Des Moines last season on Oct. 9, 2022. 
 
Up Next
Drake will welcome Southern Illinois to Drake Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 21 for a 7 p.m.