SENIOR FORWARD GARRETT WEBB turns away from the sideline during Drake’s 3-3 double-overtime draw with Creighton on Saturday. The Bulldogs finished the regular season with a record of 11-6-2 and will face Creighton again Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. at Cownie Soccer Complex. Photo: Sarah Andrews

In front of a nearly packed house of 1,632, the Bulldogs tied Creighton 3-3 in the final conference game of the season Saturday night. Eight seniors were also honored before the kickoff at Cownie Soccer Complex.

“No one doesn’t play hard on senior day,” Head Coach Sean Holmes said.

In the high-scoring match, Holmes said the team’s strategy going into the game was to focus on offense and create scoring opportunities. Creighton played with the same offense-oriented strategy.

“After winning at their place, we knew those guys would be extra motivated,” Holmes said. “Our earliest goal worked to counteract that energy.”

Senior Garrett Webb’s goal 10 minutes in, to the first half kicked off a five-minute-long scoring spree for both teams.

Creighton responded with a charge directly up the center of the field. Caught off guard, Drake’s defense allowed Bluejay Josh Moran through the back line where he was able to chip the ball over junior keeper Michael Drozd.

“When we attack, we’re going to leave ourselves a little bit naked and we know that,” Holmes said. “I’m proud of the way we play.”

Just 36 seconds after he subbed into the game after the Creighton goal, junior Kenan Malicevic took advantage of a rebound from Bluejay keeper Brian Holt.

Drake held the lead at 2-1 until Bluejay midfielder Sergio Castillo found space at the top of the box and drove the ball past Drozd into the upper right corner of the net to tie the match in the 77th minute.

Creighton took the lead for the first time just two minutes before the final whistle as a Bluejay defender came up a with a header goal off of a corner kick to bring the score to 3-2.

“The goals we gave up were, unfortunately, silly and sloppy,” Holmes said.

But the team’s offensive efforts made up for its errors as Webb tallied his second goal of the game, heading it in during a scramble in the six-yard box. Webb’s finish brought the score to 3-3.

The crowd remained tense as each moment of overtime passed. With no goals in either overtime session, the 110-minute-long match ended in a tie.

The crowd consisted of Drake students, area youth soccer players, parents and alumni.

Zack Brennan, a 2004 Drake graduate and former goalkeeper, traveled from Kansas City to watch the match and play in the alumni game at Cownie at 2 p.m. Saturday. He said he would attribute the high-intensity feel of the game to the rivalry between the two schools.

“It’s Creighton, you always want to beat that team,” Brennan said. “It was a fast game and both teams played up-tempo.”

This year’s eight seniors contributed to the program’s reformed reputation in the Missouri Valley Conference.

“I’m proud of the program because they’re finishing in the top of the conference every year,” Brennan said. “It’s not an automatic win for Creighton anymore.”

Despite facing what Holmes said is the team’s “most arduous schedule,” the Bulldogs finished their season with an overall record of 11-6-2.

The Bulldogs will again face Creighton again next weekend, when the Bluejays return to Cownie for the semifinals of the MVC Tournament Friday at 6 p.m.