DES MOINES, Iowa - Recording a season-high in shots, the University of Evansville men's soccer team showed its attacking ability, but was unable to find the back of the net in a 1-0 loss to Drake on Sunday afternoon in Des Moines, Iowa.

"I feel for our guys today. We did everything we needed to do to get the result and came out on the short side of it," said Aces head men's soccer coach Marshall Ray. "It was an even match, a road match in the Valley. Playing down Ethan (Garvey) and Adam (Dahou) and a few other injuries and they never gave up and battled and fought and created chances at the end. We've got to keep working, that's the answer, and stay consistent and get ready for our match on Saturday against Bradley."

A few new faces dotted the Evansville starting eleven and made a strong impact on its attack. Making his first start as an Ace, Karl Mbouombouo tallied three shots on the afternoon, including one on frame, his first shots in the white and purple. A familiar face at the top of the stat sheet for the Aces, sophomore Pablo Guillen led the team with four shots in the match. In goal, redshirt junior Jacob Madden made six saves, while starting his sixth-straight match.

The first half saw Evansville hold the advantage with its attack, generating more shots in the opening half than it has in any match this season. The Aces recorded 12 total shots in the first 45 minutes, surpassing its previous match high of 10 set against SIUE on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Evansville's defense allowed eight shots with just two coming on frame, both of which Madden saved. 

Drake came out of the halftime break and immediately turned-up the heat on its attack, recording a pair of shots on goal in the first six minutes, but Madden again made saves on both. In the 62nd minute, the Bulldogs found their breakthrough, as Declan Watters received a pass from Louis Yuill and scored to give Drake the 1-0 lead. Around the 70th minute, senior Karl Mbouombouo recorded a pair of shots, with one blocked and the other missing high as the Aces looked to equalize the match. As the match entered the final 10 minutes, Evansville again mounted an attack with junior Nkosi Graham having a shot saved and Mbouombouo putting a shot on target that was saved as Drake held on to the 1-0 win.

Evansville returns to Arad McCutchan Stadium on Saturday, October 9 with a matchup against Bradley.
 

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