FORWARD DANIELLE FIGLIOLA (HS2) charges past a Creighton defender during the Bulldogs’ 1-0 overtime win over the Bluejays. Photo: Sarah Andrews
With two matches remaining before the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, the Drake women’s soccer team’s ledger stands at 7-7-3 after the team split two games in the last 11 days.
The team came up with a big win, defeating Creighton 1-0 in overtime and avenging last season’s loss. Entering the next game with a high from the Creighton match, but little rest, the team lost to Missouri State 2-0.
The team will play its final regular-season match against Indiana State, Thursday at the Cownie Soccer Complex at 7 p.m.
“As a team, we understand how important this last game is,” defender Melanie Fielder (J2) said. “We are tight knit and willing to work for each other to win it, especially for our eight seniors.”
The team may even be too tight-knit. Players have had to battle a barrage of sickness recently, giving non-starters minutes on the field.
“When our starters need a break, the subs who go in give a great spark and the level of play doesn’t drop when we pull people off the bench,” Fielder said.
The team’s depth on the bench comes mostly from underclassmen, while juniors and seniors make up nearly the entire starting lineup. The rivalries against MVC opponents that those seasoned players have developed over the years have created a desire to beat certain teams, like Creighton.
The team’s defense worked together to earn the shutout, facing three of the league’s most volatile offensive players.
“We covered well for each other and were prepared to clear service in the box,” Horner said. “Kourtney Arnold (B2) had to make a few great saves in the Creighton game, but our defense did a good job of limiting their chances.”
After 96 minutes of play, forward Liz Woerle (AS,B2) scored the only goal to end the match and earn the Bulldogs the win. The team erupted in cheers at the sight of Woerle’s direct free kick hitting the back of the net near the lower left post.
“Any golden goal gets a celebration, but beating our rival in overtime made it that much more dramatic,” Horner said.
Forwards and midfielders created scoring opportunities throughout the game with 11 shots, while Creighton took 12 shots on goal.
The team’s next match fell only two days after the Creighton game and the team came out a little flat, allowing the first goal within the first six minutes and the last one in the final 15 minutes.
“Unfortunately, we were coming off of a big game against Creighton while MSU had rested, so we knew that we had to play on tired legs,” Horner said. “MSU was an opportunistic team that capitalized on two scrambles in our box.”
The Bears scored both goals off corner kicks. These were the first goals of the season the Drake team allowed off restarts. Missouri State worked for both goals, fighting to put points on the board.
“They are big, scrappy athletes that have a blue-collar mentality,” Horner said. “If we were to face them in the tournament, our work rate off the ball and willingness to make something out of nothing could provide us a different result.”
Drake may just have that opportunity next week during the MVC tournament. The Bulldogs are seeded third for the tournament and will look to better their standings in the conference with the match Thursday.
Horner said the Bulldogs will need to focus on the details, execute passes and shots cleanly and stay organized defensively to secure the win.
“Our Indiana State game will be on senior day,” Horner said. “Our seniors have not forgotten that this team upset us and ended our season last year. Our team has all the motivation they need.”
