The Basics
Drake men's soccer will split its next two matches as the Bulldogs begin Missouri Valley Conference play. Drake will take on two teams from the Land of Lincoln as they're set to host Northern Illinois (Sep. 27) and visit UIC (Oct. 3).
 
Bulldog Breakdown
Drake had just one game last week which resulted in a 1-0 victory. The Bulldogs hosted Oral Roberts in their penultimate non-conference tilt. Drake earned the shutout win after a solid
performance in goal by Tomas Butkovic, who earned last week's MVC Defensive Player of the Week nod, and a 50th-minute goal from freshman Elijah Fearing.
 
Key Players
Jackson Kirsch – 9 PTS, 3 G, 3 AST
Preston Kipnusu – 7 PTS, 3 G, AST
Eskil Gjerde – 4 PTS, G, 2 A
Barrett Kitts – 3 PTS, G, A
Tomas Butkovic – 19 SV, .760 SV%
 
Scouting Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois enters the week with a 4-3-1 overall record. The Huskies have split their home and road slate with an even 2-2 mark in DeKalb and 2-1-1 on the road. Their early non-conference schedule included a 2-2 draw at Milwaukee and 1-0 win at Green Bay. Most recently, the Huskies fell 3-2 vs. Eastern Illinois and earned a 4-1 win over NAIA Governors State.
 
The Bulldogs and Huskies are all square in their all-time series with a 2-2-3 tally. Drake earned a 2024 win to snap a three-match streak of ties. The Huskies last won in Des Moines in 2011.
 
NIU is led by head coach Ryan Swan. In year nine of his Northern Illinois tenure, Swan has gone 57-73-13 in DeKalb and 163-120-21 overall in his 17-year head coaching career.
 
Key Players
Katai Mukuka – 10 PTS, 4 G, 2 A
Vance Sheffield – 9 PTS, 4 G, A
Nico Angulo – 5 PTS, 2 G, A
Jose Gomez – 5 PTS, G, 3 A
Atahan Arslan – 22 SV, .688%
 
Scouting UIC
UIC is off to a blazing 7-0-1 start in the 2025 season. They opened with a 3-1 win over Air Force and have won their last four matches including wins over crosstown rivals Loyola and Chicago State by scores of 3-1 and 2-0, respectively. Through their first eight matches, the Flames have scored 24 goals, nearly double what the next best squad in The Valley has posted. UIC, as a team, also leads the MVC in shots, shots on goal, and assists.
 
UIC leads the all-time series with Drake, 6-4, but the Bulldogs have won four of the last five meetings including a 1-0 dub in 2024.
 
Sean Phillips is in his 16th year as the head coach of the Flames. Phillips has led his squad to a record of 144-104-28.
 
Key Players
Edouard Nys – 21 PTS, 8 G, 5 A
Carlos Nevarez – 10 PTS, 2 G, 6 A
Darrell Turcios – 10 PTS, 4 G, 2 A
Owen Cornell – 18 SV, .720 SV%
 
Up Next
Drake will return to Des Moines for two straight home contests when Evansville (Oct. 11) and Bowling Green (Oct. 18) come to town.