ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The Drake women's soccer program is gearing up for the start of the 2025 season and was tabbed as the No. 1 team in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll, the league announced this morning.
 
The Bulldogs tallied 99 total points in the poll with nine first place votes. UIC was voted second with 90 points and one first place vote, while Belmont finished third with 76 points.
 
Drake also had five players earn preseason accolades. Eve Blakey, Layla Kelbel, and Madelyn Smith garnered First Team selections for the Bulldogs. Meanwhile, Zoey Mahoney and Addie Ford received Honorable Mention nods.

Blakey, a senior from Newcastle, England, was an All-MVC Second Team selection last season and led Drake in points with 17. She was Drake's top goal-scorer netting seven goals in 2024 and was tied for second on the squad with three assists.

Kelbel, coming off an All-MVC First Team selection last year, started 16 matches and appeared in all 21 games for the Bulldogs. The Hartland, Wisconsin, native registered five goals in 2024, four of which came during conference play.

Smith, a redshirt senior from St. Louis, recorded four assists and scored one goal while controlling traffic in the midfield, earning and All-MVC First Team selection.

Mahoney, a local product from Waukee, led Drake with six assists and scored one goal from her defender position last season, which helped her earn All-MVC First Team honors.

Ford, a junior from Davenport, Iowa, collected 54 saves during her 2024 campaign which was good for the 10th most in the league. She also was named MVC Goalkeeper of the Week one time during the week of Aug. 20.

The full list of preseason player accolades can be found below.

The Bulldogs begin the regular season with a pair of home games in 2025, first taking on Wyoming on Aug. 14 followed by Senior Day on Aug. 17 versus South Dakota.

FIRST TEAM
F - #10 Eve Blakey, Sr., Drake
F - #8 Riley Collett, UIC
F - #2 Taylor Johnson, Evansville
F - #22 Layla Kelbel, Drake
F - #12 Olivia Knoepfle, Sr., UNI
ACM/F - #18 Ava Labocki, Belmont
W - #16 Reagan Ross, Belmont
F/CMid - #17 Molly O'Rear, Valparaiso
M - #10 Mary Hardy, Sr., Murray State
M -- #5 Madelyn Smith, Drake
D - #16 Brooklyn Woods, Indiana State
GK #35 Francesca Faraci, UIC
 
HONORABLE MENTIONS
F - #2 Breece Bass, Murray State
Wing/F – #2 Eiley Henderson, Illinois State
F #29 Sophia Jaime, UIC
F #5 Sophia Schlicklin, Southern Illinois
MF #3 Olivia Anderson, Southern Illinois
MF #20 Hannah Gryzik, UIC
D - #19 Zoey Mahoney, Drake
GK - #1 Addie Ford, Drake