DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake men's soccer team claimed its second consecutive victory with a hard-fought battle over Houston Christian on Friday afternoon from Mediacom Stadium. Freshman Preston Kipnusu's lone goal was all that was needed to secure the 1-0 win over the Huskies.
 
From the beginning whistle it was a physical matchup between the Bulldogs and the Huskies and shots were coming at a premium. Houston Christian was able to get off just two shots over the course of the first 45 minutes of play and Drake was only able to get one attempt away. Drake's single attempt, however, was able to find the back of the net.
 
In the 35th minute of action, sophomore defender Cole Schrage sent a ball into the box that connected with the head of Kipnusu, which sent it by the Houston Christian goalkeeper to give Drake the early advantage. The goal marked Kipnusu's first in front of a home crowd and his second goal in as many games.
 
"It's a special feeling scoring my first goal at home for the team I grew up watching," Kipnusu said. "It was a great all-around team performance, but now we need to shift our focus to the next game on Monday."
 
Coming out of the halftime break, the defensive battle continued. Houston Christian totaled three more shots in the second half, giving them five for the match, but the Bulldogs defense thwarted any attempt of an equalizer. Freshman goalkeeper Tomas Butkovic ultimately only had to make one save on the day and earned his second shutout of the season.
 
Drake matched Houston Christian also taking three shots in the second half, giving it a total of four for the match, with Schrage, Evan Carlson, and Kai Knuchel firing attempts. Schrage had the only other shot on goal for the Bulldogs in the contest.

"Proud of how we were able to grind out a 1-0, cagey type of game," Drake head coach Pat Finn said after the game. "We didn't close games out like that last year, so that's a sign of growth. Lots to improve on, but happy for the guys to finish the 90 without conceding any real chances."
 
Drake will return to action with another home match on Monday, September 9 as it plays host to Kansas City. Kickoff from Mediacom Stadium is slated for 7 p.m. CST.