CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The Drake women's soccer team took a trip to Cedar Falls for a contest with in-state rival UNI on Sunday afternoon. The Bulldogs battled their way to a comeback victory with a pair of second half scores.
The Bulldogs and the Panthers went back-and-forth in the first half, but neither side found a goal. Drake tallied seven shots in the first 45 minutes of action with three of those attempts coming on target. Comparatively, UNI fired off four shots and had a pair come on target, which were both saved by
Kate Hopma. The Bulldogs also earned three corner kicks whereas the Panthers earned none.
After halftime, it didn't take long for the scoreless tie to be broken. Just 52 seconds after play had resumed UNI was awarded a free kick and Olivia Bohl sent a shot from distance that wound up in the back of the net to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.
Seeking an equalizer, the Bulldogs continued to apply pressure on the UNI backline. Eventually Drake broke through in the 57th minute with
Layla Kelbel finishing off a connecting piece that featured assists from
Zoey Mahoney and
Catie Johnson. Kelbel's goal marked her fourth of the season and tied the match at 1-1.
As the second half carried on Drake capitalized on the momentum gained from its first goal with another score less than 10 minutes later. Kelbel was once again in on the action as she fed forward
Eve Blakey with a pass in front of the net that Blakey tucked past the UNI goalkeeper putting the Bulldogs in the lead, 2-1.
The Bulldogs held on to their lead for the remainder of the match and picked up their fifth win in MVC play for the 2024 campaign.
"Everyone that stepped on the field for us helped us get this result," Drake head coach
Lindsey Horner said. "[UNI's] goal didn't frazzle us nor did our missed penalty kick, both of which could have derailed us. The resilience and determination from our group was impressive. Our defending continues to improve and our goals today were very well earned. It's important that we keep improving like we are as we finish out our last two games."
Drake outshot UNI in the match by a mark of 14-11 and also edged the Panthers in shots on goal, 7-6. The Bulldogs secured 10 corners compared to three for UNI as well.
The Bulldogs will play their last road match of the season for their next game as they head to Carbondale, Illinois for a contest with Southern Illinois on Oct. 24.
