McGrath, Keller lead Aces past Drake

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Senior midfielder Ian McGrath scored the lone goal of the match in the 65th minute and a shutout in goal by senior goalkeeper Matthew Keller helped lead the University of Evansville men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Drake on the road on Saturday afternoon in Des Moines, Iowa.

"Our entire group contributed to the win today," said Aces men's soccer head coach Marshall Ray. "With the number of games we have coming up, we had to rotate guys on Wednesday and it helped today. Our guys coming in off the bench today picked up our level and allowed us to battle for the win. Ian came through big for us again and Keller was a wall in goal for us."

McGrath led the way for the Aces with the lone goal, firing a team-best three shots in the win. Between the posts, Keller preserved a clean sheet, making six saves in his fifth win of the season. Drake was led by Leroy Enzugusi and Nic Jaimes whoe ach tallied a pair of shots.

The Aces dominated the first half of action, owning a 7-1 advantage on shots in the opening 45 minutes.

Box Score (PDF)

The tables turned in the second half as Drake held the advantage in shots. Despite recording just one in the second half, the Aces made it count. In the 65th minute, junior defender Eric McDougal crossed a ball into the box, far post, and found McGrath, who headed it into the back of the net for his ninth goal of the season.

In the final 25 minutes, the Aces faced eight Bulldog shots, but were able to stave off Drake to earn a 1-0 road victory.

In the match, Evansville was out-shot by the Bulldogs, 10-8. Drake also finished the match with a 7-4 advantage on corner kicks.

"It is up to us to compete in every session and match and battle to finish the regular season off on a high note," said Ray.

Evansville returns to Arad McCutchan Stadium for a three-game home-stand, beginning with a matchup with Central Arkansas at 6 p.m. on Tuesday night.

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