The Basics
The Drake women's soccer team is slated for its first road trip of the conference season this week with a pair of matches away from Des Moines. The Bulldogs will first take on Belmont from Nashville, Tennessee on Thursday, Sep. 25 and then make the trek over to Murray, Kentucky to challenge the Murray State Racers on Sunday, Sep. 28.
 
Bulldogs by the Numbers
Drake begins the week with a current overall record of 4-3-3 and has gone 2-1-2 in road matches this season. The Bulldogs opened up conference play last Sunday with a home match versus Valparaiso and had a strong showing with a 5-1 victory. The five goals scored by Drake matched a season high for the Bulldogs as they also tallied five goals against Western Illinois back on August 21. Following the performance against Valpo, Drake had a pair of players earn MVC weekly award honors in Eve Blakey and Alanna Pennington. Blakey was named the MVC Player of the Week, while Pennington was named the MVC Defensive Player of the week.
 
Drake Leaders
Eve Blakey l 16 PTS – 7 G – 2 A - 19 SH – 15 SOG
Madelyn Smith l 7 PTS – 2 G – 3 A - 14 SH – 7 SOG
Angela Gutierrez l 6 PTS – 1 G - 4 A – 17 SH – 8 SOG
Isabella Balsley l 6 PTS – 3 G – 9 SH – 7 SOG
Addie Ford l 4-2-2 W/L – 29 SV – 5 GA - .806 SV%
 
Scouting Belmont
The Bruins post an overall record of 2-3-4 coming into the match with Drake on Thursday. Belmont had its conference opener last Friday where it fell to Southern Illinois on the road, 2-1. The Bruins boast a formidable defense as they have tallied five shutouts on the season, which is tied for the most in the league, and they also lead the MVC in saves with 52.
 
The Bulldogs and Bruins have a brief history against each other having played just three matches all-time. Drake has yet to fall to Belmont and is a perfect 3-0 in the series. Last season the Bulldogs defeated the Bruins from Des Moines, 1-0. In the lone match played from Nashville in the series, Drake came away with a 3-2 victory in 2023.

Belmont Leaders
Kaitlyn Elliott l 4 PTS – 2 G – 8 SH – 4 SOG
Ava Labocki l 3 PTS – 1 G – 1 A - 6 SH – 5 SOG
Reagan Ross l 2 PTS – 1 G – 13 SH – 4 SOG
Sydney Jones l 2-2-3 W/L – 38 SV – 7 GA – .844 SV%
 
Scouting Murray State
Murray State comes into the week with an overall record of 5-3-2 and has performed well from its home field with a record of 4-1. The Racers began their league season against Illinois State last week and earned a 1-1 draw against the Redbirds. Like Belmont, Murray State's defense has been formidable as it has tallied four shutouts this season and has allowed just one goal over its last three contests. The Racers are slated to play UNI on Thursday before their match with the Bulldogs.
 
The Bulldogs and Racers have matched up evenly in the all-time series with the record sitting at 2-2-1. Last season, the two sides met in Des Moines and ended in a 1-1 draw. The last time Drake traveled to Murray State in 2023, the Bulldogs came away with a 2-1 win. The Bulldogs are 1-1 against the Racers all-time in matches played from Murray with the other contest resulting in a 3-2 loss back in 2004.
 
Murray State Leaders
Breece Bass l 9 PTS – 3 G – 3 A – 40 SH – 15 SOG
Megan Wilson l 5 PTS – 1 G – 3 A – 17 SH – 7 SOG
Katie Donoghue l 4 PTS – 2 G – 13 SH – 4 SOG
Griselda Revolorio l 3-3-1 W/L – 30 SV – 14 GA - .682 SV%
 
Up Next
Drake will return home for its next contest as it hosts Indiana State on Sunday, Oct. 5. Kickoff against the Sycamores is slated for 1 p.m. CT.