DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake women's soccer team put on a dominant performance from Mediacom Stadium on Wednesday evening defeating crosstown foe Grand View by a score of 5-0 on Senior Night.
The Bulldogs were in full control of the match from the opening whistle and held firm in the possession game all night long. Despite spending much of the first half attacking the Grand View defensive zone, however, Drake couldn't find the back of the net in the early goings.
It may have taken until the 35th minute, but the Bulldogs finally drew first blood with an
Angela Gutierrez goal. The senior scored in her third consecutive match to open the flood gates for the Blue & White one-touching a shot in the lower corner of the goal after
Isabella Balsley dropped off a touch pass for her inside the box.
Trelyn White was also credited with an assist on the play as she found Balsley cutting into the box to set up Gutierrez.
Just three minutes later, Drake struck again with Gutierrez in the center of the action. After earning a corner, Gutierrez played it short to
Addy Basler who immediately sent it back to Gutierrez to play a long crossing ball into the box for an unmarked
Alanna Pennington. The senior for Ankeny placed herself under the ball and proceeded to head it into the back of the net giving Drake a 2-0 lead going into halftime.
It was more of the same from the Bulldogs in the second half as they continued to apply the pressure against the Viking defense.
The Bulldogs took advantage of another set piece opportunity in the 63rd minute with a senior-to-senior connection.
Alma Beaton fired in a cross from the corner where
Mika Marolly was waiting and with a jumping effort ricocheted the ball into the goal for her first goal in a Bulldog uniform.
With a comfortable 3-0 lead and time winding down, the Bulldogs still looked for more scoring opportunities as they fired away 16 shots over the final 45 minutes. Junior
Hannah Renz capitalized on one of those chances scoring her first collegiate goal in the 76th minute with assists going to
Joanah Jepsen and
Ava Hall.
The final goal of the night was tallied by Jepsen just before the final horn sounded in the 90th minute off a feed from
Megan Thomsen.
"I felt we were a bit slow and methodical in possession in the first half to breakdown Grand View's low block and while we had a lot of the ball, we struggled to create clear cut chances," Drake head coach
Lindsey Horner said. "Credit Grand View for being very organized and disciplined defensively. In the second half I felt we were far more willing to sit in pockets and combine centrally which resulted in a more exciting game to watch and fare better chances to score.
"Senior Night shutout wins are always exciting, and we are so happy for this group to find a bit of individual success tonight with goals, assists, and the shutout," Horner added. "These seniors have done so much to elevate our program and continue to raise our standards so they're deserving of the recognition they received from their teammates and the crowd."
In total, Drake ripped off 26 shots on the night with 13 coming on target. Comparatively, Grand View had one shot in the match which was on net. The Bulldogs also compiled 14 corner kicks in the match to zero for the Vikings.
Drake had five different players find the back of the net with Gutierrez and Jepsen being the top point getters as the duo notched a goal and assist each. Eight players collected an assist for the Bulldogs in total. Meanwhile,
Addie Ford made one save during her light duties in goal and freshman
Grace Thomason checked in for Ford for the final eight and half minutes of the match for her first collegiate action.
The Bulldogs return to action on Sunday, August 30, as they host SIUE from Mediacom Stadium for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
