The Basics
The Drake women's soccer team starts postseason play in the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament this week and comes into the tournament as the No.1 seed. The Bulldogs will take on the No. 4 seed Illinois State on Thursday, Nov. 6 at 3 p.m. from Mediacom Stadium. The other semifinal is between No. 2 Murray State and No. 6 UIC with the winners advancing to the MVC Tournament Championship on Sunday, Nov. 9.
Drake Women's Soccer in the MVC Tournament
Drake women's soccer owns a 12-19-3 all-time record in the MVC Tournament and last won the conference tournament crown in 2006 (its only MVC Tournament title). In 2006, Drake defeated Missouri State, 1-0, before beating Evansville, 1-0, in the title match on Nov. 5, 2006, for an appearance in the NCAA Tournament (2-0 loss to Saint Louis). The Bulldogs have been in the MVC Tournament Championship game for the past two seasons but fell to Missouri State (2024) and Valparaiso (2023).
Bulldogs by the Numbers
The Bulldogs come into the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed after winning the MVC regular season championship with a conference record of 6-2-1. Drake secured the title in the final regular season game of the season with a 1-0 victory over Southern Illinois. The regular season title marked the eighth in program history for Drake and the second regular season championship claimed in the last three years.
Drake Leaders
Eve Blakey l 19 PTS – 8 G – 3 A - 35 SH – 26 SOG
Isabella Balsley l 13 PTS – 6 G – 1 A – 21 SH – 15 SOG
Angela Gutierrez l 9 PTS – 2 G – 5 A – 30 SH – 11 SOG
Addie Ford l 9-4-3 W/L – 46 SV – 11 GA - .807 SV%
Scouting Illinois State
The Redbirds won their opening round matchup against No. 5 Southern Illinois, 2-1, to advance to the semifinal round. Sophomore Chloe Cline scored both goals in the Illinois State win over SIU to propel them to the next round. The Redbirds earned the No. 4 seed after going 3-2-4 in league play.
In the all-time series between Drake and Illinois State, the Redbirds have the slight edge, 13-12-3. Illinois State got the better of Drake in the lone meeting between the two sides back on Oct. 23 in Normal by a score of 1-0. Thursday marks the first meeting between Drake and Illinois State in the MVC Tournament since 2009. That meeting also took place in the semifinals with the Redbirds coming away with the victory, 1-0.
Illinois State Leaders
Chloe Cline l 9 PTS – 4 G – 1 A - 23 SH – 11 SOG
Rylann Law l 8 PTS – 4 G – 49 SH – 21 SOG
Danica Key l 5 PTS – 2 G – 1 A - 6 SH – 3 SOG
Madi Valenti l 7-6-7 W/L – 76 SV – 15 GA - .835 SV%
Scouting Murray State
Missouri State earned the No. 2 seed in the tournament after finishing the conference slate with a league record of 5-1-3. Overall, the Bears went 10-4-4 on the season and are riding a five-game win streak. Murray State's lone loss in conference play came against Drake back on Sep. 28 by a score of 1-0.
The Bulldogs lead the all-time series against the Racers with a mark of 3-2-1. The last time Murray State and Drake met in the MVC Tournament, the Racers won the first round matchup, 1-0, back in 2022.
Murray State Leaders
Mary Hardy l 15 PTS – 5 G – 5 A - 39 SH – 15 SOG
Breece Bass l 12 PTS – 4 G – 4 A - 60 SH – 24 SOG
Ava Roberson l 9 PTS – 4 G – 1 A – 10 SH – 4 SOG
Griselda Revolorio l 8-4-3 W/L – 65 SV – 19 GA - .774 SV%
Scouting UIC
The Flames upset the No. 3 seed, Indiana State, in its opening round match on Nov. 2 by a score of 2-1 to reach the semis. UIC has been playing well as of late, winning three straight, and is looking to make a Cinderella run as the last team to qualify for the tournament.
Drake lost to UIC during the regular season in a low-scoring affair, 1-0, but still leads in the all-time series with a record of 5-3. The Bulldogs and Flames met in the semifinals of last year's MVC Tournament with Drake winning, 1-0. Drake also defeated UIC in the 2023 MVC Tournament semifinals, 2-1, with that game being played at Mediacom Stadium.
UIC Leaders
Riley Collett l 10 PTS – 4 G – 2 A - 34 SH – 13 SOG
Hannah Gryzik l 8 PTS – 3 G – 2 A - 21 SH – 9 SOG
Bella Baker l 6 PTS – 3 G – 14 SH – 6 SOG
Francesca Faraci l 4-1-4 W/L – 41 SV – 8 GA - .837 SV%
