DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake women's soccer team earned another pivotal conference win on Thursday afternoon as it defeated the UIC Flames by a score of 2-0. Two second half goals propelled the Bulldogs over the Flames, and the defense continued its strong play with its second consecutive shutout.
 
Both Drake and UIC sat in the top of half of the MVC table coming into the contest with the Flames in second and the Bulldogs in fourth and the competitive play rang true in the first half. Neither side notched a goal in the first 45 minutes despite Drake ripping off six shots while UIC posted three.
 
When the teams returned to the pitch for the second half Drake ramped up its offensive attack and were the first to strike on the scoreboard. After earning a throw-in at the 51st minute, sophomore defender Zoey Mahoney launched her attempt using her patented flip style throw deep into the box. Waiting right in front of the net for the ball was forward Eve Blakey who sent a header past the UIC goalkeeper for her team-leading fifth goal of the season.
 
As the game progressed, the Bulldogs held on to their 1-0 advantage but looked to add another while the defense kept the Flames out of attacking positions. The opportunity occurred in the 75^th minute with Maia Bentley sending a strike into the goal coming off passes from Lily Overstreet and Avery Mertz.
 
Drake continued to stonewall the Flames over the final 15 minutes of play as they allowed UIC to get just one shot off over the course of the second half to secure the 2-0 win.
 
"Like last game we were into the wind for the first half but had so much of the ball and some great chances," Drake head coach Lindsey Horner said. "We knew we would dominate possession in the second half but challenged [our team] to turn that into goals. Both our goals came off restarts so we are a little disappointed we couldn't break [UIC] down in the run of play, but overall, we are thrilled to get three points at home and earn a shutout."
 
Drake outshot UIC by a mark of 9-4 and led in shots on goal as well, 6-1. Kate Hopma recorded one save in the match and earned her second shutout in her second start of the season.
 
The Bulldogs will take to the road for their next two matches, first challenging in-state rival UNI (Oct. 20) followed by a contest with Southern Illinois (Oct. 24).