Carbondale Reporter

The Southern Illinois University women's soccer team faced a narrow defeat against Drake, losing 2-1 on Thursday. The match took place in Carbondale, Illinois, and saw the Salukis fall to a balanced season record of 6-6-5.

Head coach Graeme Orr expressed pride in his team's performance despite the loss. "I'm proud of the girls. I thought we pressed a really good team, forced them into a lot of turnovers, and pushed until the end," Orr stated.

Drake secured an early lead with two goals in the first half. Their first goal came in the seventh minute, followed by another in the 19th minute, putting them ahead 2-0. Southern Illinois responded with McKensey Bunch scoring her fifth goal of the season in the 29th minute, assisted by Guliana Balistreri.

The second half remained goalless despite both teams creating scoring opportunities. Balistreri had a chance to score in the 84th minute, and Southern Illinois earned a corner kick in the 88th minute but failed to equalize before time ran out.

Both teams were evenly matched in terms of total shots, and each goalkeeper made four saves during the game. Notably, five Salukis played throughout the entire match including goalkeeper Fabiana Solano and defender Lucy Horn.

Southern Illinois will conclude their regular season on Sunday, October 27th at Evansville.

For more updates on Southern Illinois University women's soccer team activities and news, fans can follow their social media accounts or download their mobile app available on both iOS and Android platforms.