DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake women's soccer team kept up its Missouri Valley Conference winning streak on Sunday afternoon with 2-0 victory over the UIC Flames from Mediacom Stadium. The Bulldogs are now 3-0 in league play and are a perfect 6-0 in home contests this season.
After a period of feeling each other out to get the match started, Drake and UIC both found some opportunities with attempts on goal. The Flames recorded the first shot on target in the match in the 14th minute, but Bulldog starting goalkeeper
Kate Hopma was up to the task and denied the attempt.
The next three shots were all taken by Drake over a five-minute span and the Bulldogs cashed in with their top goal scorer,
Angela Gutierrez, finding the back of the net in the 20
th minute. The senior sent a scorcher from the top of the box into the left side of the goal after
Alma Beaton gained control of a loose ball and dropped it off with a little flick of a backheel pass.
Just four minutes of gameplay passed when Gutierrez found the back of the net again to push Drake's lead out to 2-0. This time the Bulldogs were off and running on a breakaway when
Isabella Balsley gained possession at midfield drawing the attention of two UIC defenders as she carried the ball into the box. This left Gutierrez unmarked and Balsley slid her a pass that she promptly put past the UIC goalkeeper.
Drake took its 2-0 advantage into the halftime break after recording eight shots in the first 45 minutes of action. UIC, meanwhile, tallied three shots in the half causing Hopma to make two saves including a crucial penalty save in the 32nd minute.
When the action picked back up in the second half, the two sides traded shots in the early goings with new Drake goalkeeper
Addie Ford being welcomed into the match with a close range save attempt in the 49th minute. The senior was prepared, however, and stonewalled the shot away to keep the Flames off the board.
As the minutes ticked away, UIC thought they had finally broken through the stout Drake defense in the 82nd minute with a goal, but after a review the score was taken away due to an offsides call.
That would be the last true action either side would produce for the match with Drake successfully playing keep away and possession control until the clock hit zeroes.
"We are proud to earn another shutout win at home," Drake head coach
Lindsey Horner said. "We had a great start to the game and looked really comfortable in our build. We survived a handful of moments including the penalty kick and their goal that was offsides. Those were errors we can absolutely clean up. UIC presented a new challenge in being a low block that jumped on entry passes and I think we did a great job of adapting."
Gutierrez led the Bulldog attack clocking four shots on the afternoon to go along with her two-goal performance. She now has nine goals on the season for the Bulldogs. Balsley and Beaton, meanwhile, picked up their fifth and fourth assists for the year. From a defensive note, Hopma made two saves in her 45 minutes of action and Ford tallied three saves in the second half to earn the combined shutout.
As a team Drake ripped off 16 shots and had six attempts come on net. UIC comparatively tallied six shots with five attempts on target. The Bulldogs have yet to surrender a goal to an opponent when playing on home turf this season.
Drake's next match will be on the road at Indiana State on Sunday, Oct. 11. Kickoff against the Sycamores is slated for 12 p.m. CT.
