DES MOINES, Iowa – For the second time in its last three matches, the Drake men's soccer team suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of the Western Michigan Broncos. This time, however, the Bulldog loss, which came in a penalty shootout, ended a historic Drake season.
"Soccer is a beautiful game and at times it's the cruelest." Drake head coach
Pat Flinn said. "Rather than focus on losing in a shootout, I'd prefer to acknowledge everything this group accomplished. They went through an entire college season and were only beaten twice. They were the first MVC champions in program history, despite a couple crushing injuries that changed the dynamic of our team. They left it all on the field tonight and anyone that watched the match would agree. I am so lucky to coach the Drake men's soccer team and am filled with gratitude for everything our 31 players poured into this season."
The Bulldogs started Wednesday's action with a bang, scoring the first goal of the night in just the 10th minute.
Crew Alvarez chased down a
Jonathan Mendez miss, which was saved by WMU starting keeper Alex Lindewirth, and delivered the opening strike. Alvarez's goal gave Drake a 1-0 lead.
The early score had Western Michigan reeling, but only briefly as the Broncos got themselves going later in the first half. Braxton Arpachinda, the Broncos' leading points scorer for the season, was assisted by a Connor Burkett throw-in for his fourth goal of the year. Arpachinda's connection tied the game at 1-1 in the 30th minute, which held until the half.
Both teams created several opportunities for themselves over the final 45 minutes of regulation, including a 7-4 Drake advantage in total shots, but neither could snap the stalemate. The 90th minute came and went with the score still gridlocked.
Extra time was played at in equally even fashion. WMU managed one attempt in the first 10-minute overtime period while the Dogs took two in the second. Both had one chance at a corner kick, but still neither squad could strike gold and end the match.
Two scoreless overtime frames prompted a penalty kick shootout. Drake's
Eskil Gjerde, who was named Missouri Valley Conference Midfielder of the Year earlier in the week, attempted the first PK of the night. Gjerde's shot was saved by a diving Timi Adams, who entered in goal in the late stages of regulation time.
Gjerde's misfire proved costly. The rest of Drake's shooters connected on their tries, as did Western Michigan's entire lineup. The Broncos won the shootout period by a 5-4 margin, securing the match result and advancing to the MVC Tournament title game at No. 1 seed Evansville this Saturday.
"Gjerde's, and
Ryder Barrett's, jerseys deserve to hang in our stadium," Flinn continued. "They took a chance on a program and a new coach when were still playing at Cownie [Soccer Complex] in front of a handful of people. They dragged this program so far forward that it's hard to believe they've only been here four years. I am forever grateful to them for their loyalty, honesty and passion.
Kyle Smith is also the best assistant coach in the country, and our players all know it. Cole, Leroy, Coach Mac, and Tino have all helped move this thing forward in the right direction.
Drake's season comes to an end at 8-2-7 overall and 3-1-3 in conference play.
"In an era of fifth- and sixth-year players dominating, we had significant contributions from five true freshmen tonight," Flinn concluded. "The future is even brighter than the present for Drake Soccer. Go Dogs!"
