DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University men's soccer team continued their current hot streak with a 4-0 win over Belmont on Sunday afternoon. The Bulldogs blitzed the Bruins to extend their unbeaten streak to six games with victories in five of those matches.
The Bulldogs controlled the tempo from the jump, eventually drawing first blood in the 24th minute.
Jackson Kirsch fired a free kick from just outside the box that curled around Grant Calvert, the Belmont keeper, for his second goal of the season.
Later, just before the half expired,
Dalton Visconti came on as a reserve and extended Drake's advantage with an unassisted score in the 44th minute. Visconti was in the right place at the right time as a Bulldog corner kick bounced off multiple Bruins before being banked in by the sophomore. Drake took their 2-0 lead into the break.
Drake's productive afternoon continued following the half as Visconti struck again, this time after receiving a perfectly placed pass from
J.P. Pascarella (57'). Sunday marked the first game in Visconti's career with multiple goals.
Pascarella later provided the final blow in the 79th minute after collecting a blocked shot and pushing a laser past Calvert. It was also Pascarella's second goal of the season.
The final 10 minutes ran off without any drama as Drake was able to secure the 4-0 win. The Bulldogs outshot Belmont 11-4 overall and 7-2 in shots on goal despite Belmont's 7-2 advantage in corner kicks.
"It's been tough losing players and personalities like Snorre [Espersen], Evan [Carlson], and Damian [Segura]," Drake head coach
Pat Flinn said. "But the team embodies a next man up mentality and capped off the first half of the season with a great home performance today."
Drake keeper
Tomas Butkovic made a pair of saves while Calvert finished three rejections alongside the four goals allowed. The victory was also Butkovic's fourth shutout of the year.
The Dogs will hit the road for the next tilt as the calendar turns to October. The Bulldogs will visit Milwaukee on Oct. 1 in the 2024 non-conference finale.
