Freshman goalkeeper Luke Strueby delivered another outstanding performance Wednesday (Oct. 7) night, helping the Rockhurst men's soccer team battle No. 11 Drury to a 0-0 draw in Springfield, Missouri.
Coming off his first Great Lakes Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week honor, Strueby continued his impressive run in goal, turning away the Panthers' attack and helping the Hawks earn a valuable conference point against one of the league's top teams.
The draw moved Rockhurst to 4-4-4 overall and 3-2-4 in GLVC play, while Drury moved to 8-2-2 overall and 6-1-2 in the conference.
Strueby finished with nine saves across 90 minutes, recording his second consecutive shutout after making nine saves in Saturday's 1-0 victory over conference-leading Maryville. The freshman has now anchored the Hawks to back-to-back shutouts against two of the GLVC's toughest opponents.
Drury controlled much of the offensive pressure in the opening half, outshooting Rockhurst 13-1. The Panthers continually tested the Hawks' defense, but Strueby stood tall in goal, keeping the match scoreless heading into halftime.
Rockhurst responded with a stronger offensive showing after the break, generating seven second-half shots while limiting Drury to seven attempts over the final 45 minutes.
The Hawks finished with eight shots, led by Gavin Hudnall and Ozonna Ugbaja with two apiece. Rhys Laws, Sam McIntosh, Nicolas Schrag and Daniele Ciancaglini each added an attempt.
Drury continued to threaten late in the contest, but Strueby came through with several crucial stops. He denied Mason Platts in the 80th minute before turning away Caua Nascimento in the 85th minute. Moments later, Drury's Steen Voller struck the left post, narrowly missing a potential game-winning goal.
The result marked another impressive defensive performance for Rockhurst, which has now gone 180 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal against Maryville and Drury, two teams that entered their respective matches with a combined 12-1-2 conference record.
Rockhurst will look to carry its defensive momentum into Saturday's (Oct. 10) conference matchup at Missouri-St. Louis.
