Heading into Drake’s Oct. 28 home game against Bradley, the team was on the verge of breaking into double-digit wins for the second-straight season, and the second time in school history, as the Bulldogs’ MVC regular season winds down.
The Braves provided a tough challenge in the first half, as the Bulldogs had a hard time adjusting to their strategy.
“Their play style took a little bit for us to get used to,” senior midfielder Kevin Shrout said. “We knew they were coming in with nothing to lose. Playing a team with no conference wins, you have to expect them to play differently.”
In the 18th minute, senior midfielder Luke Gorczyca put the Bulldogs on the board, as he gathered an attempted clearance from Bradley goalkeeper Kyle Orne.
The rain-soaked field didn’t help the teams either, as it forced the game to relocate from the main field at Cownie Soccer Complex.
“Tonight was an interesting game as we had the last-second change of venue that unsettled our preparation a little bit,” Head Coach Sean Holmes said. “The condition of the field didn’t help us a lot and the wind was with us for a half and in our face the other half.”
The Braves responded with their third in-conference goal this year, as a laser of a shot beat junior keeper Jordan Kadlec to the lower right corner in the 21st minute.
While the first half of the game ended in a stalemate, the second half went in favor of the Bulldogs.
“With their play style, we had some things to get used to, especially with the field as well,” Shrout said. “We had a rough first half and it was kind of frustrating, but we really picked it up in the second half.”
The game remained tied until the final five minutes of the second half, when junior forward Kenan Malicevic scored off of a corner kick from junior midfielder Michael Noonan. With a reverse flick of the foot, Malicevic turned his only shot into the game-winning goal for the Bulldogs.
“The test of the team was that new guys stepped up to win the game,” Holmes said. “We’ve driven hard on the seniors all year long, and then it is Michael Noonan making some fantastic runs down the wing and Kenan Malicevic scoring the winner. That makes me excited, not only for the remainder of the season, but for next year. We can’t be so senior-focused that no one else is able to win us games.”
The Bulldogs’ next match, against Missouri State, which was scheduled for Oct. 31, was rescheduled for Nov. 1, due to problems with Missouri State’s stadium lighting system.
This was the second time in two weeks that the Bulldogs and the Bears faced each other. Missouri State topped Drake Oct. 17, in Des Moines with a 2-1 victory in which the Bears fought back from being down 1-0 to steal the win away with two second half goals.
This time, however, it was the Bears who jumped out in front early. In the 16th minute, Edin Sabic found the back of the net for the Bears, which held the lead at 1-0 up at the half.
A second goal came for the Bears in the 75th minute when a cross from David Buckenheimer found Ben Griffiths inside the 18-yard box. Griffiths’ volley made its way past Kadlec to give the Bears a two-goal lead.
The Bulldogs changed their formation to create more scoring opportunities against the Bears. Switching from a 4-4-2 to a 3-4-3 in the last 20 minutes, they found the net twice to tie up the game.
“That move created more opportunities,” Holmes said.
The Bulldogs quickly took advantage of those opportunities. In the 81st minute, Malicevic slotted home his fourth goal of the season on a pass from junior defender Nick Foster that found him behind the defense. His sliding kick beat the Missouri State keeper and put Drake on the board.
Just 64 seconds later, a scramble in the box led to a header from senior forward Garrett Webb, tying the game up at 2-2 with only eight minutes remaining in the game.
“The switch we made seemed to give them some problems at the back,” Shrout said. “Our guys up top fought hard in the box and started to put away more chances.”
The second half ended in a tie, so overtime was necessary to decide the game.
A mere 21 seconds into overtime though, Bulldogs lost after Gerard Barbero stole the ball and sent the first shot of overtime into the back of the net to end the game before the Bulldogs knew what hit them.
The dramatic 3-2 victory moved the Bears to 11-3-2, and the Bulldogs fell to 10-6-1 with a 5-3 record in the Missouri Valley Conference.
“Our two games against Missouri State have been characterized by big mistakes,” Holmes said. “If you want to compete for the Missouri Valley Conference title, you must play more error-free. They forced us into making mistakes and we have to be bigger and stronger than that.”
