DES MOINES, Iowa – The University of Evansville women's soccer team and Drake certainly may have seemed like they were trending in opposite directions in recent weeks, but that all changed on Sunday as the Purple Aces picked up a Missouri Valley Conference victory over the league favorite Bulldogs, handing the hosts a 1-0 decision at Cownie Soccer Complex.
"The whole season matters, but obviously, conference is what is most important to us," UE head coach Krista McKendree said. "That's what we try to focus on, and that's how we use the non-conference schedule. Hopefully we can play some decent soccer, but we can also find what works best and what doesn't to prepare us for games like today."
The Aces (2-9-1) were looking to get back on track after falling in each of the past five contests, but similar to last season, which culminated in an MVC tournament crown, the team will aim to gain momentum in league play.
"The girls came out today and competed for a full 90 minutes," McKendree said. "We hadn't done that in a few games. That's what we have to do for the rest of the season. We need to take it half-by-half and compete with the same kind of energy and desire that we had today. If we do that, we'll put ourselves in position to win."
Drake, on the other hand, was handed just their second loss of the year, falling to 8-2-1 overall.
After playing to a stalemate in the opening half, Colleen Dierkes, who had previously scored in an exhibition against Murray State back in August, notched her first goal of the season. The senior out of St. Louis, charged up the middle of the field, receiving a pass from the right flank and calmly lifted it over Drake goalkeeper Haley Morris in the 65
th minute.
That would be enough for the Aces as goalkeeper Whitney Biggs racked up five saves to lead the defense. She'd have some help from her teammates as well, highlighted by a pair of Bulldog opportunities being cleared off the line.
UE will look to keep things rolling in league play next weekend as Northern Iowa will pay a visit to Arad McCutchan Stadium on Sunday.
NOTES: UE is 9-10-0 all-time against Drake and 21-13-2 against schools from the state of Iowa … Last season, UE dropped a 2-1 decision to the Bulldogs in Evansville … The Aces also opened up Valley play at Drake in 2014, winning 1-0 … The two sides met again in the tournament later that year, with UE pulling out a 2-0 victory … UE is 12-6-3 all-time in MVC openers … UE is 4-1-0 in openers against Drake.
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