DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University men's soccer team hosted the Falcons of Bowling Green for a Saturday night bout at Mediacom Stadium. The Bulldogs battled Bowling Green for a full 90 minutes with two second-half scores elevating Drake to a shutout win.
 
The two teams fought through a scoreless first half with Bowling Green leading the offensive attacks in shots, 8-6. Both teams managed one shot on goal over the first 45 minutes as Drake's Tomas Butkovic and the Falcons' Jason Bell logged a save apiece.
 
The second half was mere minutes old before Drake finally broke through and put the first tally on the board. Landon Benge tracked down a rebounded shot, which was originally taken by Crew Alvarez, and fired the second-chance opportunity past a lunging Bell for his first goal of the year.
 
Drake held on to its 1-0 advantage until the final stages when Damian Segura stepped up to try a penalty kick. Segura converted on the freebie in the 85th minute for his first goal of the year, which also added an important insurance score for the Bulldogs.
 
The clocked eventually ticked down to triple zeroes with the Bulldogs earning the victory, 2-0.

"I am proud of of the resolve our team continues to show," Drake head coach Pat Flinn said. "We knew it was a pivotal second half and our response to that could not have been any more decisive. This team is going to need young attacking players to come through and Landon and Crew did just that for the first goal. Big things ahead, but tonight was a big win for this team. Go Dogs."
 
Butkovic finished the night with three saves while Ball recorded two. The 2-0 result secured Butkovic's sixth shutout of the season.
 
Drake's Cole Schrage took a team-high three shots while Segura, Benge, Jonathan Mendez, Barrett Kitts, and Preston Kipnusu each took two.
 
The Bulldogs have now completed 12 consecutive matches without suffering a loss. Drake sits at 6-0-6 on the year and is one of three Valley teams at 1-0-3 in conference play.
 
Drake will turn around quickly for a mid-week trip to former MVC rival Missouri State. The Bulldogs and Bears are set for a Tuesday tilt in Springfield with kick off scheduled for 7 p.m.