The Basics
The Drake University men's soccer team has only two games left in the 2024 regular season. The Bulldogs will travel to DeKalb, Ill. for their final road test against Northern Illinois before hosting Missouri State at Mediacom Stadium in the finale. The Bulldogs will take on NIU on Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. and come home for their last regulation game on Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. against the Bears.
Bulldogs by the Numbers
The Bulldogs are currently 8-3-3 overall with a 4-0-2 conference record and are riding a three game unbeaten streak. They are also 5-0-1 at home and 3-3-2 overall on the road. Drake is coming off a 2-1 win against Bradley and a gritty 1-0 triumph against the UIC Flames on Senior Night.
Drake is currently two points behind MVC leader Missouri State in the league standings. Both teams are unbeaten in conference play, so next Wednesday's match could have major MVC Tournament seeding implications.
Drake Leaders
Preston Kipnusu | 4 G – A – 9 PTS – 18 SH – 8 SOG – 2 GW
Dalton Visconti | 3 G – A – 7 PTS – 5 SH – 4 SOG – GW
Jackson Kirsch | 2 G – 2 A – 6 PTS – 22 SH – 7 SOG - GW
Tomas Butkovic | 14 GA – 1.00 GAA – 34 SV – 8-3-3 W/L – 6 SHO
Scouting Northern Illinois
NIU finally got back into the win column in their last match with a 1-0 victory over Belmont in Nashville. Their victory over the Bruins snapped a five-match losing streak dating back to a 1-0 non-MVC win over Mercyhurst. The Huskies are now 1-5 in the conference with a 2-6 home record, a 1-5 road record, and a 3-11 mark overall.
Drake is 1-2-3 all-time vs. Northern Illinois. The last three meetings have all ended in a draw including last season's tie in Des Moines. The Bulldogs' last win over NIU came in 2007.
NIU Leaders
Jose Gomez | 2 G – 4 A – 8 PTS – 12 SH – 6 SOG
Kevin Kelly | 3 G – A – 7 PTS – 20 SH – 8 SOG
Sam Divis | 2 G – A – 5 PTS – 11 SH – 6 SOG
Caleb Pearson | 31 GA – 3.48 GAA – 30 SV – 1-8-0 W/L
Scouting Missouri State
Missouri State is currently the top team in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 10-2-2 overall record and a 5-0-1 league record. The team has a 5-1-1 home record and a 4-1-1 road record. The Bears played to a scoreless draw vs. Saint Louis in their last match, which halted a five-game winning streak.
Drake trails in their all-time series with Missouri State by an 8-18-8 mark. The Bulldogs have not beaten Missouri State since 2017 as the Bears are 8-0-3 since then. Drake's last home win over rival Missouri State came in 2015.
Missouri State Leaders
Jesus Barea | 13 G – 2 A – 28 PTS – 68 SH – 45 SOG – 4 GW
James Jennings | 6 G – 4 A – 16 PTS – 17 SH – 10 SOG – 3 GW
Fumiya Shiraishi | 5 G – 4 A – 14 PTS – 22 SH – 10 SOG – GW
Will Lowry | 5 GA – 0.53 GAA – 16 SV – 7-0-2 W/L
Up Next
The Bulldogs will compete in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament between Nov. 10-16. Drake's seeding the in the conference dance is dependent on their final two matches of the regular season.
