DES MOINES, Iowa – A raucous crowd witnessed a resilient Drake men's soccer team pick up a key MVC victory on Saturday night. The Bulldogs, who started the evening by recognizing their seniors, took down UIC by a 1-0 margin.
Offense was at a premium at Mediacom Stadium, but the Bulldogs were able to make the game's only scoring mark in the early stages. The Drake attack put on significant pressure from the opening kick which resulted in a
Preston Kipnusu goal in the 7th minute. The true freshman netted his fourth score of the year after
Jackson Kirsch fired off a corner kick that was corralled by
Austin Holtebeck. The ball immediately found its way back into Kirsch's possession before he lobbed one toward the 6-foot 4-inch first year player. Kipnusu elevated above a pair of UIC defenders to head in the goal to give Drake a 1-0 lead.
That goal ended up as the only score of the night as defense ruled the rest of the way. UIC outshot Drake 6-3 in the second half after the Bulldogs' 8-3 advantage in attempts over the first 45 minutes. The Bulldogs led the shooting race 11-3 overall and had the same advantage in corner kicks.
Things got a little chippy in the second half as a competitive UIC crew did their best to equalize. In total, 13 cards were issued including one to the Flames' bench and a pair to Paul Brauckmann of UIC and
Eskil Gjerde of Drake. Both Brauckmann and Gjerde were sent off in the second half for their multiple infractions.
Despite the physical play, Drake was able to grind out the 1-0 win and secure a crucial league victory.
"Massive win for our program tonight," Drake head coach
Pat Flinn said. "Mentality is unquantifiable but is everything in soccer. Our team has it and would not be denied three points tonight in spite of UIC's talent and second half push. And shout out to our alums tonight for their support. Go Bulldogs!"
In goal, Drake's
Tomas Butkovic had a stellar showing with three saves in his sixth shutout of the year. UIC keeper Oren Asher had one save for the Flames.
Drake will be back in action next weekend when they travel to Northern Illinois for a Friday night tilt on Nov. 1. Their trip to DeKalb will be the Bulldogs' final road match of the season before hosting rival Missouri State in the season finale on Nov. 6.
