OMAHA, Neb. – Drake men's soccer was away from home on Tuesday night for its non-conference finale. The Bulldogs visited Omaha for a mid-week match-up with the Mavericks, but the hosts jumped out early and stampeded to the finish, earning a 3-1 final score.
Omaha did not waste much time getting on the board as the Mavericks cashed in during the 19th minute. A
Cael Orban foul in the box gave Italo Jenkins an uncontested opportunity, which he converted to give the Mavs a 1-0 advantage.
Jenkins fired off another shot just moments later, which missed. The unsuccessful attempt set up an immediate corner kick for the Mavericks, which led to their second goal in just three minutes of game time. Maguire Perkins connected in the 22nd stanza, promptly doubling Omaha's lead.
The chaotic first half continued 20 seconds later when Omaha's Lucas Foreman was whistled near the net, setting Drake up for a penalty try of their own.
Crew Alvarez stepped up to the line, but his shot was saved by Omaha keeper Kamy Ndione, who finished with three stops on the night.
Omaha held on to its 2-0 lead through the remainder of the first period as the Dogs went into the half in a deficit.
The Bulldogs were able to find more of a rhythm in the second half, going blow-for-blow with Omaha out of the locker room. Drake eventually sawed the Omaha lead in half.
Mamadou Sow logged his second goal of the year in the 72nd minute, making it 2-1 in favor of the Mavs.
Drake did its best keep their rally alive, but Omaha eventually administered the final tally as Jenkins was assisted by Foreman in the 79th minute. Omaha's late goal regrew its lead to two goals and the eventual 3-1 final.
"We had some positive and some negatives tonight," Drake head coach
Pat Flinn said. "Now all chips are in on Sunday. We need to go to Bradley and get a result. Go Dogs."
Alvarez and
Judah Shalit both tried two shots to lead Drake's offense while the Maverick's Jenkins had three to top all players. In goal,
Tomas Butkovic had two saves in the first half while
Justin Heienickle, who played the final 45 minutes, had two to his credit as well.
Drake will remain on the road for its next match, the Bulldogs' penultimate fixture of the 2026 regular season. Drake is set to visit Bradley in Peoria, Illinois on Sunday, Oct. 25 with kick-off slated for 1 p.m.
