EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Sitting in first place in the MVC standings at 2-0, the University of Evansville men's soccer team travels to Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday for a marquee matchup with unbeaten Drake. The Bulldogs are one of 12 remaining unbeaten teams in the country, while the Purple Aces are the only MVC team to win their first two conference matches.
Last Time Out
Evansville saw their six-match unbeaten streak come to an end Tuesday night, falling at Northwestern by a score of 1-0. The match was a defensive battle, with the Aces and Wildcats combining for only three shots on goal.
Tancredi Fadda (Monza, Italy Liceo Carlo Porta Monza/University of Milan) tallied Evansville's first two shots of the night, including the match's first shot on goal in the 16
th minute. Just over ten minutes later, newly minted MVC Defensive Player of the Week Michal Mroz (Elk Grove, Ill./Elk Grove) made his lone save of the night.
Northwestern broke through in the 28
th minute, with Peter Riesz finding the back of the net to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.
Just before the halftime intermission, Álvaro Timón (Toledo, Spain/Valencia International University) threatened for the Aces with a pair of shots, including a promising chance that was blocked out of play for a corner kick, but was not able to put a shot on target as the score remained 1-0 heading into the break.
The defensive battled continued in the second half, with neither side able to put a shot on target, while Evansville held the Wildcats without a shot. Pablo Calvete (Ponferrada, Spain/UNIR) and Håkon Edstrøm (Baerum, Norway/Norges Toppidrettsgymnas) put up shots for the Aces early in the period, but neither landed on goal.
The Evansville attack increased its pressure in the final 15 minutes of the match, putting together a couple of threatening chances. The first came on a dangerous ball into the box for Andres Escudero (San Sebastián de los Reyes, Spain/IES Joan Miro), but a quality challenge by the Wildcats' defense thwarted the chance. In the 81
st minute, Devin Shepherd (Denver, Colo./Arapahoe) earned a free kick deep in the Aces' attacking half, but Evansville was unable to generate a shot, and the Aces were shut out for the first time in four matches.
Series History
Saturday marks the 39th all-time meeting between Evansville and Drake, with the Bulldogs holding the series lead at 22-13-3. The Purple Aces are looking for their first win over Drake since 2022 and their first win in Des Moines since 2017.
Scouting Drake
Drake comes into Saturday's match with a 5-0-5 record and a 0-0-2 mark in MVC play. The Bulldogs tied Northern Illinois 1-1 in their MVC opener before playing UIC to a scoreless draw last Friday.
Follow Along
Saturday's match will be streamed live on ESPN+. Live stats are available at GoPurpleAces.com.
