ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Drake women's soccer had a total of six student-athletes recognized by the Missouri Valley Conference for All-Conference honors, the league announced Wednesday.
The Bulldogs placed three individuals on the All-MVC First Team in
Layla Kelbel,
Zoey Mahoney, and
Madelyn Smith.
Eve Blakey was named All-MVC Second Team and
Angela Gutierrez earned All-MVC Third Team honors. Meanwhile,
Izzy Snowden was placed on the All-MVC Freshman Team.
Kelbel was a driving force for the Bulldogs offensive attack appearing in all 19 contests and making 14 starts. The junior forward was second on Drake in goals (5) and points (13) along with being tied for the second most assists on the squad with three.
Mahoney played a pivotal part in the Bulldogs' backline, but also had her hand in on the offensive end as well. The local product from Waukee, Iowa was the team leader in assists on the season with six and scored one goal. Her six assists were tied for the second most in the league and she was also tabbed as the MVC Defender of the Week on Sept. 17.
Smith controlled plenty of traffic from her midfield position playing in all 19 contests and making 18 starts. The redshirt junior logged 1551 minutes, the third most on Drake, with one goal scored and a trio of assists. Over the course of the season, Smith ripped off 39 shots with 21 coming on target, both of which led Drake.
Hailing from Newcastle, England, Blakey was the offensive leader in her first season as a Bulldog. Blakey led the team in goals (6) and points (15) and was tied with Kelbel and Smith for the second most assists (3). The junior also came in clutch multiple times throughout the season recording three game-winning goals. She was named MVC Player of the Week on Oct. 22 after scoring a pair of game-winners against UIC and UNI.
Gutierrez followed up her MVC Freshman of the Year honors from a season ago with another solid campaign in 2024 earning her a selection to the Third Team. The Oakdale, Minnesota native played in 18 games making 16 starts logging four goals and one assist.
In her freshman campaign Snowden bolstered the Drake defense logging the most minutes on the team with 1,638. The Elkhorn, Nebraska product scored two goals and added an assist appearing in all 19 matches with 18 starts. She was also another Bulldog to earn a MVC weekly award being named Defender of the Week on Sept. 10.
The Bulldogs will take to the pitch next with a semifinal match against No. 3 seed UIC in the MVC Tournament from Springfield, Mo. Kickoff against the Flames is slated for Thursday, Nov. 7 at 3 p.m. If the Bulldogs advance to the MVC Championship game, they will take on the winner between No. 1 Missouri State and No. 4 Belmont on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 1 p.m.
