AMES, Iowa – The Drake women's soccer team came away with a 1-1 draw from the Cyclone Sports Complex in an inter-state battle with Iowa State on Sunday evening. The Bulldogs grabbed a second half lead, but a 90th minute goal from the Cyclones saw the match end in a tie.
"I think we are all so proud of the first 89 minutes," Drake head coach
Lindsey Horner said. "We caused Iowa State all sorts of problems on both sides of the ball. Obviously, we wish we could have closed out the game with a win, but there are so many positives to take from this performance."
There was plenty of action between the Bulldogs and the Cyclones in the first 45 minutes, but neither side found the back of the net.
Drake held a slight edge over Iowa State ripping off six shots in the first half, while the Cyclones managed five. Each side registered two shots on goal.
The physicality was also on display with a total of 16 fouls, eight for each squad. Only one card was issued, however, to Alaina St. Villa of Iowa State just before the halftime break.
When play resumed for the second half, the Cyclones pushed forward against the Bulldogs backline in the early minutes for a couple of scoring chances. However, Drake goalkeeper
Addie Ford held firm in net and denied Iowa State with a couple of saves.
With 10 minutes gone by in the second half, it was Drake's turn to go on the attack. That opportunity came by way of corner kick in the 55th minute.
Paige Millstone sent the corner attempt into the box and after a couple of bounces among a bevy of players,
Izzy Snowden was able to get a foot on the ball and lofted it over to
Angela Gutierrez. Gutierrez then jumped into the air and sent a header past the outstretched arms of the ISU goalkeeper giving the Bulldogs the 1-0 lead.
Drake held it's 1-0 advantage over Iowa State for the majority of the second half, thwarting off the added offensive pressure from the Cyclones until the final minute of the contest.
With the seconds ticking down off the clock, Iowa State found its equalizer off a throw in by Isabella Agrusso. Lauren Hernandez ultimately took the throw in and flicked it into the box where Lucy Froitzheim was waiting and snuck it into the bottom right corner of the goal.
Just 28 second remained on the clock for Drake to record a last-second goal, but to no avail and the match ended in a draw.
"This week we have shown tremendous growth in our ability to compete as a team and that's what the non-conference is all about," Horner added. "I like the fight we demonstrated tonight and the direction we are trending."
The Bulldogs tallied one more shot than the Cyclones on the night by a mark of 12-11 and both teams recorded six shots on goal. ISU won the corner battle over Drake earning five corner kicks to the Bulldogs' three.
Layla Kelbel led the offensive charge for Drake registering four shots with three coming on net. Gutierrez followed with her goal on three total shots. Ford logged all 90 minutes in goal and made six saves.
Drake remains on the road for its next contest as it heads to Edwardsville, Illinois on Thursday, August 28 to challenge SIUE. Kickoff against the Cougars is slated for 7 p.m. CT.
