EVANSVILLE, Ind. – After suffering a 2-0 loss to No. 16 Indiana in its final non-conference match Wednesday night in Bloomington, Ind., the University of Evansville men’s soccer team will return to Missouri Valley Conference play Saturday night in Des Moines, Iowa, when it takes on Drake in a 7 p.m. contest.
 
The Purple Aces (9-6-0, 3-1-0 MVC) were outshot by the Hoosiers, 19-6, but held IU off the score sheet in the second half after surrendering a pair of first-half goals.  The shutout marked the 10th-consecutive game, in which UE or its opponent has been held without a goal.  Sophomore goalkeeper Eric Teppen made six saves in goal and fellow sophomore Dylan Terry led UE offensively with three shots, including two on goal.
 
Freshman Faik Hajderovic leads Evansville with 13 points on four goals and five assists, while sophomore Nick Schroeder has posted a team-best five points in Valley matches, scoring twice and dishing out an assist.  Senior Jesse Sharp ranks second on the team with eight points and Mark Anthony Gonzalez and Schroeder are tied for third on the squad with seven points each.  Teppen enters Saturday’s match with a 1.28 goals against average with five shutouts and 59 saves in 1333 minutes between the posts.
 
Drake (4-10-3, 1-2-1 MVC) will host its Senior Day Saturday night and enters the match having lost its last three matchups, including its last two in extra time.  The Bulldogs saw their three-game winning streak snapped with a 3-1, non-conference loss to Illinois-Chicago on Oct. 13.  DU then dropped a pair of league games in overtime, falling, 3-2, at Bradley and, 2-1, at SIU Edwardsville.  As a team, Drake has been outscored, 31-16, and is allowing opponents to take just over 16 shots per match.
 
Addison Eck and Michael Thaden have combined for 10 of Drake’s 16 goals this season, as Eck leads the team with 12 points on five goals and a pair of assists, and Thaden has netted five goals with one assist for 11 points.  Rich Gallagher has played all but 19:35 in goal for the Bulldogs and owns a 1.71 goals against average with 97 saves and a trio of shutouts.
 
With a win on Saturday, the Aces could set up a showdown with Creighton next Saturday at Arad McCutchan Stadium that would decide the MVC regular-season championship.  Evansville is currently second in the Valley standings with a 3-1-0 mark, while the Bluejays sit atop the league standings a 3-0-1 and host Missouri State Saturday afternoon.
 
Evansville and Drake have met 23 previous times on the pitch and the Bulldogs own a 12-10-1 advantage in the all-time series.  Last season, Drake topped UE, 2-1, at McCutchan Stadium.