The Basics
Drake men's soccer will again split its next two games between their home field and a road venue. The Bulldogs will host Omaha as the nightcap of a men's and women's doubleheader (Sep. 3) before traveling to the Sooner State for a match against Tulsa (Sep. 6).
 
Bulldog Breakdown
Drake went 1-1 last week with a pair of three-goal outings on the road and at home. The Bulldogs drew with Marquette in Milwaukee in a 3-3 matchup before returning to Des Moines for a 3-0 home-opening win over NAIA Graceland.
 
Preston Kipnusu led the Bulldogs with two goals between both of Drake's last two games. Jackson Kirsch and Mamadou Sow cashed in for their first goals of the year vs. Marquette while Dalton Visconti and Snorre Espersen logged their first scores of the season against Graceland. Kipnusu's two-goal effort earned him an MVC Offensive Player of the Week nomination.
 
Key Players
Preston Kipnusu – 5 points, 2 goals, assist
Jackson Kirsch – 5 points, goal, 3 assists
Eskil Gjerde – 4, points, goal, 2 assists
Tomas Butkovic – 5 saves, .556 save pct.
 
Scouting Omaha
Omaha opened their season on Aug. 21 with a 4-1 loss at FIU, despite an early penalty kick goal by Bradley Takamo. Three days later, they fell 2-0 at Florida Atlantic, with both
goals conceded despite a solid defensive effort. In their home opener on Aug. 31 at Caniglia Field, Omaha suffered a 3-0 defeat to the Wolverines of Utah Valley, completing a 0-3-0 start to the 2025 campaign.
 
Omaha and Drake are deadlocked in their all-time series, 2-2-5. The two teams have tied their last four meetings with Drake earning the most recent win in 2021.
 
Key Players
Bradley Takamo – 2 points, goal
Oscar Kvarnback – 4 shots
Yoshiki Igarashi – 2 shots
Cole Stewart – 6 saves, .545 save pct.
 
Scouting Tulsa
Tulsa opened with a scoreless home draw against Cal State Northridge on Aug. 21when CSUN's goalkeeper made seven saves despite Tulsa outshooting them 11–4. Three days later, the Golden Hurricane fell 1-0 to Cal State Fullerton at in Tulsa. They bounced back on Aug. 29 with a 1-0 home win over Central Arkansas, courtesy of Gijs Hovius' 70th-minute goal assisted by Nils Orywol. The fourth game ended in another scoreless tie at Creighton on Sep. 1.
 
Tulsa leads Drake in their all-time series with each other, 9-1. The Golden Hurricane won the last meeting in 2023 after Drake earned their only victory in the series in 2018.
 
Key Players
Gijs Hovius – 2 points, goal
Nils Orywol – point, assist
Will Applegate – 6 shots
Carlito Saylon – 9 saves, .900 save pct.
 
Up Next
The Bulldogs' will visit Kansas City on Sep. 9 for another road matchup before getting back to Des Moines for the first of three home tilts against DePaul on Sep. 13.