The Basics
Drake men's soccer continues their trek through the 2023 schedule with two more MVC matchups. The Bulldogs will travel to Nashville, Tenn. for a date with Belmont this Sunday, Oct. 1 and then return home for a clash with conference-newcomer Northern Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 7.
Bulldogs by the Numbers
Drake is currently 2-5-1 overall and an even 1-1 in league play. The Bulldogs are unbeaten at home with a 2-0-1 mark in the friendly confines of Cownie Soccer Complex and 0-5 away from Des Moines. Drake is 1-1-1 in their last three matches with a draw against Omaha (9/13) and win over Evansville (9/16), both at home, and a loss at No. 25 UIC (9/23).
AJ Franklin leads the Bulldogs in multiple categories including points (9), goals (4), shots (17), and shots on goal (13). One of Franklin's scores was a game-winner which is equal to
Austin Holtebeck's single game-winning goal.
Elsewhere,
Damian Segura has been as unselfish as they come with a team-high four assists. He has added a pair of goals for eight total points.
Eloge Iradukunda has also scored two goals and totaled five points.
In goal, Drake has featured three different keepers.
Tommy Williams has been Drake's horse with four starts and five appearances. He has allowed 12 goals and made 13 saves.
Kevin Qi began the year as Drake's top goalkeeper and has logged 10 saves with eight goals allowed.
Quinn Millerd has also come on as a reserve.
Scouting Belmont
Belmont is currently 4-3-2 overall and 0-2 in MVC action. The Bruins have split their last four contests with non-conference victories over Southern Indiana (9/12) and Presbyterian (9/26). Both their MVC losses came in that stretch to the league's top two teams in UIC and now No. 9 Missouri State.
Brock Kiper and Jansen Wilson have both scored seven total points for Belmont. Kiper leads the team with three goals, two of which have been game-winning, while Wilson tops the Bruins' roster with 20 shots and 12 shots on goal. Wilson is also joined by Michael Saunders at the top Belmont's stat sheet with three assists.
Grant Calvert has started all nine matches for Belmont this season. He has made 38 saves and allowed nine goals with one shutout.
Drake is undefeated against Belmont in the all-time series between the two teams. The Bulldogs won last season's meeting 2-0 in Des Moines.
Scouting Northern Illinois
One of three newcomers to the MVC, Northern Illinois currently holds a 2-6 overall record and is also 0-2 against Valley teams. The Huskies are on a four-game slide dating back to Sep. 8 with two non-league losses and a pair of MVC defeats to Missouri State and Evansville. NIU's las win came over NCAA Division III foe Aurora by a 7-2 score (9/4). NIU will visit Marquette for a non-conference bout before traveling to Des Moines next weekend.
Eddie Knight and Taisei Arima lead the Huskies with seven points on a combined five goals and four assists. Arima paces Northern Illinois with 17 shots, seven of which have been on goal. Jakub Rojek has been the Huskies' primary goalkeeper with seven starts. He has saved 34 shots and allowed 14 goals.
Northern Illinois holds a slight advantage in the all-time series with Drake. The Huskies lead the matchup 2-1-2. The last two meetings have ended in a draw including a double overtime tilt in 2018 and a 1-1 tie in 2012. NIU's last win came in 2011 while Drake has not beaten the Huskies since 2007.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will split their following two matches with another non-MVC home contest versus St. Thomas on Oct. 10 before traveling to Western Michigan on Oct. 14.
