ST. PAUL, Minn. – The 2024 Drake University athletic calendar got underway this afternoon as the Bulldogs' women's soccer team squared off against St. Thomas in St. Paul. Head coach Lindsey Horner's squad had a solid showing but could not jump in front as the Bulldogs battled back to earn a 1-1 draw.

The Bulldogs controlled much of the first half but could not complete the scoring equation. Drake led the shots battle 8-5 at the break as the teams went scoreless into halftime.

"We were very good in the first half," Horner said. "But just didn't have a goal to show for our possession and chances."

St. Thomas came out of the pause ready to rock and wound up on the right side of a fortunate bounce. A Bulldog handball allowed the Tommies to score the match's first goal on an Abby Brantner penalty kick in the 51st minute.

Trailing 1-0, Drake locked back in. In the 61st minute, Lily Overstreet corralled the ball just over the midfield stripe and delivered a well-placed pass to rookie Isabella Balsley. The freshman maneuvered her way through the box and around multiple Tommie defenders before poking it past St. Thomas' keeper to even the match score at one apiece. It was Balsley's first collegiate goal.

The two teams settled back into their back-and-forth affair after the two scores as the buzzer eventually sounded with the tally still square. The draw marked Drake's first season-opening tie since playing a 0-0 double-overtime stalemate at Kansas to kick off the 2021 season.

"This was a pretty typical, gritty game for us," Horner said. "And a decent starting point for [the season]. We were phenomenal at times and executed well beneath our potential at other times. We weren't as sharp in the second half and need to improve our collective ability to recover from mistakes. I am proud we were able to get a goal back on the road. Isabella Balsley was a constant threat. I'm excited to see our growth from today."

Drake will return home this weekend for the 2024 home opener against Kansas on Sunday, Aug. 18 at 1 p.m.