DES MOINES, Iowa. – The Drake women's soccer team took to the pitch for its penultimate game of the regular season on a brisk Fall Sunday afternoon from Mediacom Stadium and came away with an important victory over Evansville, 1-0.
 
In the first half there was limited action between Drake and Evansville as neither side connected on a goal. Drake held firm on the possession battle and tallied five shots. Evansville, meanwhile, tallied just two shots over the first 45 minutes of play.
 
The Bulldogs registered a couple of early testers on target from Layla Kelbel in the ninth minute and Ivy Sobel in the 13th minute, but the Purple Aces keeper, Allie Lammers, saved both attempts to keep the score deadlocked at 0-0 by halftime.
 
Following the break, the Bulldogs were back on the attack in the early goings getting a couple shots on net from Claire Emmerich and Eve Blakey, but still to no avail.
 
Then in a blink of an eye, Drake had its opportunity. After an Evansville throw in, Emmerich forced a turnover at the midfield line and went straight on the counterattack. The sophomore carried the ball all the way to the top of the box and laid off a pass for fellow sophomore Isabella Balsley. The Johnston, Iowa, native did the rest making one move against her defender to open a shooting a lane and buried her shot into the lower left side corner of the net to put Drake ahead in the 59th minute.
 
The Bulldogs then hunkered down defensively to stop Evansville from finding an equalizer allowing just two shots again over the final stretch.
 
Drake goalkeeper Addie Ford made a pivotal save to keep the lead intact in the 81st minute on a close-range attempt from the Purple Aces and minutes later the final horn sounded with the Bulldogs securing the three points for the Missouri Valley Conference standings race.
 
"Evansville is a good side that wanted to turn our back in transition and have capable athletes run off the shoulder, but our ability to win first contacts and compete for the second ball negated their attack," Drake head coach Lindsey Horner said. "We looked confident in our build and as the game grew, we were able to become more dangerous in creating numbers up moments in wide areas.
 
"So pleased for Emmerich to drive out of midfield to slip Balsley for the goal. They've been close in that action this season, but today they got it right and were rewarded for it. The contribution from our bench today was impactful and I have to take this moment to shine a light on Madelyn Smith as Evansville didn't have an answer for her. She is a 90 minute player that helps us unlock teams, helpers her teammates in possession, and works so hard on both sides of the ball."
 
The final tally saw Drake recorded 11 shots compared to four for the Purple Aces. The Bulldogs placed six attempts on net, while Evansville had just a pair come on target. The corner kick battle was even at 5-5.
 
Kelbel led Drake in shots with three on the day and Alanna Pennington registered two shots from her defensive position. Balsley's goal marked her sixth of the year, which is second most on the team. For Emmerich, she picked up her second assist of the season.
 
After today's result, Drake sits atop the MVC table totaling 16 points with one game remaining. The Bulldogs will look to secure the regular season crown as they host Southern Illinois on Thursday, Oct. 30. Kickoff from Mediacom Stadium is slated for 1 p.m. CT.
 
"Thursday is going to be fun," Horner added. "We recruited our current players saying Drake is a program where we can compete for and win championships and we have complete control of where we finish in the standings."