The Basics
The Drake women's soccer team is back on the pitch for its final regular season home match as it hosts Illinois State on Sunday afternoon. The Bulldogs and Redbirds will hit the field at Mediacom Stadium at 1 p.m. for a pivotal Missouri Valley Conference matchup between the current second place and third place teams in the league standings.

Bulldogs by the Numbers
Sunday's match against Illinois State will have major implications for the MVC standings. With just two games remaining, Drake is currently second in the table with a league record of 5-0-2 and 17 points. Illinois State is in third with a league record of 4-1-2 and 14 points. Southern Illinois sits in first at 6-1-0 and 18 points. Drake picked up a huge win in its last match defeating the current league leaders SIU, 4-2, in comeback fashion. The Bulldogs were down 2-0 after the first 25 minutes of play but used three scores in the second half to pick up a pivotal win on the road.

Freshman Alexa Aylward was the leader of the pack for the Bulldogs in their comeback effort against SIU scoring two goals and adding an assist. The Lenexa, Kansas native was named the MVC Player of the Week following her impressive outing against the Salukis. Aylward has made an immediate impact to the Bulldog roster in her freshman campaign scoring seven goals, which ranks second on the team and is tied for the fourth most in the MVC. Her play has only picked up against conference opponents where she has scored four of her seven total goals. Her four scores against MVC foes are tied for the second most in the league.

Drake Leaders
Angela Gutierrez – 25 PTS, 10 G, 5 A, 45 SH, 23 SOG
Alexa Aylward – 15 PTS, 7 G, 1 A, 21 SH, 10 SOG
Zoey Mahoney – 14 PTS, 3 G, 8 A, 18 SH, 9 SOG
Addie Ford – 4-2-2 W/L, 25 SV, 6 GA, .806 SV%, 2 SHO
Kate Hopma – 6-1-1 W/L, 18 SV, 4 GA, .818 SV%, 2 SHO
 
Scouting Illinois State
The Redbirds are currently on a three-match unbeaten streak but have tied their opponents in their last two outings. Overall, the Redbirds have a record of 9-2-4. The Redbirds have just one loss in league play this season, which came against Southern Illinois on Oct. 11.

Madi Valenti is a formidable goal stopper in net for the Redbirds and has 24 shutouts for her career. She ranks 34th in the nation and first in the MVC with seven shutouts. She ranks 32nd in Division I and first in the conference with an .845 save percentage as well.

The Bulldogs trail in the all-time series against the Redbirds with a record of 12-14-3. Illinois State got the better of Drake in both meetings last season winning 1-0 during the regular season in Normal and then again 1-0 from Des Moines in the MVC Tournament semifinals. Drake was unbeaten in its last five meetings with Illinois State prior to last year. The Bulldogs are 7-5-2 all-time in games from Des Moines against Illinois State.
 
Illinois State Leaders
Rylann Law – 12 PTS, 4 G, 4 A, 51 SH, 23 SOG
Ava Watson – 12 PTS, 5 G, 2 A, 16 SH, 11 SOG
Maggie Dowling – 9 PTS, 4 G, 1 A, 13 SH, 6 SOG
Madi Valenti – 9-2-5 W/L, 60 SV, 11 GA, .845 SV%, 7 SHO

Up Next
Drake closes out its regular season with a road contest at in-state rival UNI on Thursday, Nov. 5. Kickoff against the Panthers is scheduled for 1 p.m.