DES MOINES, Iowa – Drake men's soccer finished off its third straight 2-0 shutout win with a defeat of Milwaukee on Tuesday night. The Bulldogs kept Milwaukee on its heels for most of the match before striking late in the second half to secure the result.
Both teams went back-and-forth through the first 45 minutes without a score despite Drake's early control. The Bulldogs (3-0-2) outshot Milwaukee 7-1 during the first half but could not connect on a scoring opportunity.
The Bulldogs and Panthers came out of halftime looking to break their scoreless stalemate, but it took a while to do so. In the 68th minute,
Judah Shalit eventually ran down a
Landon Benge pass, which was made after a booming
Tomas Butkovic kick across the pitch. Shalit corralled the ball in near the net and maneuvered it past the Milwaukee keeper for his first collegiate score.
Milwaukee (1-1-2) turned up its tempo after the goal with hopes of drawing back even, but Bulldogs were able to keep their feline counterparts from doing so.
Drake eventually provided the final blow as Shalit dished to
Barrett Kitts, who found a slicing
Cole Schrage in front of the goal. Schrage delivered the much-needed insurance goal in the 83rd minute, which was also his first of the year, to reach the 2-0 final tally.
"That performance felt much more like it," Drake head coach
Pat Flinn said. "We ran like dogs and gave them nothing. Happy for Landon (Benge) and Judah (Shalit) for the first goal. I thought
Cody Bochenski was awesome, along with the back three and Butkovic in goal. This phase of the season is all about building on performances, so it's all about preparing for Kansas City. Go Dogs."
In total, the Dogs outshot Milwaukee 13-5 overall and 4-1 in attempts on goal. Shalit led Drake's attach with three shots while Schrage's two tries were matched by freshman
Cody Bochenski and leading point scorer
Evan Carlson.
In goal, Butkovic went the distance and made one save while pitching his third consecutive shutout.
Drake will be back in Mediacom Stadium on Monday, Sep. 7 for a Labor Day duel against Kansas City. The Roos, who recently fell out of the top 25 rankings, will provide a tough home test for the Bulldogs. Kick-off is slated for 7 p.m.
