Story by Will Thornton
The Drake University men’s soccer team followed up on its first season win on Friday with a captivating 0-0 double-overtime draw with DePaul University’s Blue Demons on Tuesday.
DePaul began the game with an early offensive advantage, registering a few shots within the first 10 minutes including one on target that stretched the Bulldogs’ 6-foot-3 redshirt freshman goalkeeper Darrin MacLeod for one of his four saves on the day.
Sophomore Drake midfielder Ben LeMay earned the game’s only yellow card in the dying seconds of the first half after he went in for a reckless tackle that left a DePaul player on the ground.
Each side had plenty of possession in the other’s half, but Drake managed to outshoot DePaul 6-4 by the end of the first half and led 3-2 in corner kicks.
The second half began with DePaul gaining possession, but the Bulldogs’ tenacity could not be matched by the Blue Demons.
Drake managed an outstanding 12-4 difference in shots with DePaul, many of which fell to DePaul’s senior goalkeeper Eric Sorby.
Sorby recorded an astonishing 11 saves on the night, including six in the second half alone, to MacLeod’s four total saves.
Drake’s shot count does not truly do justice to the team’s dominant attacking, as nearly two crosses were sent into the DePaul penalty box for every shot the Bulldogs succeeded in getting off.
In the waning seconds of regulation, Drake was desperate to find a goal to make all its hard work count. Meanwhile, the Blue Demons were desperate to keep the onslaught at bay and force the game to overtime.
When the whistle sounded to signal the end of regulation time, it was DePaul’s defensive resolution that won out.
The first 10-minute overtime period was more balanced than the previous period as the Blue Demons’ rested offense took two shots to the Bulldogs’ three, and each goalkeeper recorded a save within the 10 minutes.
Just as the second half of regular time belonged to Drake, so did the second and final period of overtime play. Drake put in four of its 25 total shots on goal during the last 10 minutes and forced yet another save from Sorby.
As the clock counted down the final 10 seconds, the Bulldogs scrambled to release their 11th corner kick on the night. The defensive choice for the Blue Demons was simple, however, as college soccer rules allow a game to end with a corner kick not yet taken.
“I’m really happy that we were able to get a clean sheet,” said Drake head coach Sean Holmes. “But when you produce that many chances, you’ve got to come up with more than no goals.”
Drake’s defense was also pleased with the performance on the night, both defensively and on the attack.
“It was a solid performance for everyone,” said sophomore central defender Austin Reutzel. “(The defense) stayed a bit more compact and we knew our matchups really well, and that helped us keep DePaul away from our goal.”
The Bulldogs travel to the University of New Mexico to take on the ninth-ranked Lobos at 8 p.m on Friday. Drake’s men’s soccer team followed up on their first season win on Friday with a captivating 0-0 double-overtime draw with DePaul University’s Blue Demons on Tuesday.
DePaul’s Blue Demons began the game with an early offensive advantage, registering a few shots within the first 10 minutes including one on target that stretched the Bulldogs’ 6-foot-3 redshirt freshman goalkeeper Darrin MacLeod for one of his four saves on the day.
The game’s only yellow card was earned by sophomore Drake midfielder Ben LeMay in the dying seconds of the first half after going in for tackle a bit recklessly that left a DePaul player on the ground.
The momentum quickly shifted to a more well-balanced pace, however. Each side had plenty of possession in the other’s half, but Drake managed to outshoot DePaul 6-4 by the end of the first half and led 3-2 in corner kicks.
The second half began with DePaul gaining possession, but the Bulldogs’ tenacity could not be matched by the Blue Demons.
Drake managed an outstanding 12-4 difference in shots with DePaul, many of which fell to DePaul’s senior goalkeeper Eric Sorby.
Sorby recorded an astonishing 11 saves on the night, including six in the second half alone, to MacLeod’s 4 total saves.
Drake’s shot count does not truly do justice to the team’s dominant attacking, as nearly two crosses were sent into the DePaul penalty box for every shot the Bulldogs succeeded in getting off.
Desperation was apparent in both teams as the clock ran down to 0:00, though in different ways. Drake was desperate to find a goal to make all their hard work count, while the Blue Demons were desperate to keep the onslaught at bay and force the game to overtime.
When the whistle sounded to signal the end of regulation time, it was DePaul’s defensive resolution that won out.
The first ten-minute overtime period was more balanced than the previous period as the Blue Demons’ rested offense took two shots to the Bulldogs’ three, and each goalkeeper recorded a save within the ten minutes.
Just as the second half of regular time belong to Drake, so too did the second and final period of overtime play. Drake put in four of their 25 total shots on goal during the last ten minutes and forced yt another save from DePaul keeper Eric Sorby.
As the clock counted down the final ten seconds, the Bulldogs scrambled to release their eleventh corner kick on the night; the defensive choice for the Blue Demons was simple, however, as college soccer rules allow a game to end with a corner kick not yet taken.
Overall, the Drake Bulldogs put in a fantastic offensive show, but despite the multitude of chances could not earn a goal to show for their efforts.
“I’m really happy that we were able to get a clean sheet,” said Drake Coach Sean Holmes, “but when you produce that many chances, you’ve got to come up with more than no goals.”
Drake’s defense was also pleased with the performance on the night, both defensively and in the attack.
“It was a solid performance for everyone,” said sophomore central defender Austin Reutzel. “[The defense] stayed a bit more compact and we knew our matchups really well, and that helped us keep DePaul away from our goal.”
The Bulldogs travel to the University of New Mexico to take on the #9-ranked Lobos on Friday at 8pm CT.
