Sept. 16, 2005

Box Score

DES MOINES, Iowa - Two early goals were too much for the Ohio women's soccer team to overcome Friday as the Bobcats lost a 2-0 decision to Drake on the opening day of the Bulldog Bash at Cownie Soccer Complex.

Drake (2-5) struck in the 19th minute when a Bailey Wilberts shot from the top of the box sailed past Ohio goalkeeper Melissa Parra.

"They were looking to shoot from all over the field and we didn't get sufficient pressure on the ball," said Bobcat head coach Stacy Strauss. "That first goal was from fairly far out and they have some extremely good players - national-level players - who can hit shots like that from a good distance. Parra just mistimed her jump a little and the ball was able to sneak in."

Just a little over six minutes later, the Bulldogs extended their lead with a Kristin Underwood goal at the 24:59 mark.

"We had a defensive breakdown that gave up a corner kick," Strauss said. "Although we won the first ball off the corner, the ball was bouncing around and they were able to score as (sweeper Crystal) Reed was going out to make the tackle. The goal was actually scored off the tackle."

Ohio (2-3) was able to shut down Drake the rest of the way, however, as Parra played well in front of her hometown fans. Between the pipes, the senior from Des Moines made nine saves, including eight in the second half.

"Parra was great today," said Strauss. "She made one mistake on the first goal but we gave up far, far too many shots and she was able to come up with some big-time saves and keep us close. She really kept us in it in the second half."

Strauss also noted strong performances from sophomore defender Alyssa Warren, freshman forward Maggie Rojas-Alford and freshman midfielder Erika Schmitt.

"We just need to tweak a few things and continue to learn," Strauss said. "Drake has played a few more games than us so that might have been a little bit of a disadvantage at this point. Although we're fresh and rested, we're a young team and we haven't had as much game experience but we'll catch up in the next few weeks."

At 11:00 a.m. CDT on Sunday, the Bobcats will play Creighton (3-2-2), which lost 2-1 to Iowa State in the tournament's opening game on Friday.