Box Score Butler unleashed an offensive attack, overpowering Drake, 4-0, at the Butler Bowl Saturday afternoon. Four different Bulldogs found the net in the team's home opener, which also kept Butler undefeated at 3-0-1 on the young season.
Senior captain Caleb Postlewait got the Bulldogs on the scoreboard first, converting a penalty kick to the bottom right corner of the goal. Four minutes later, senior Jeff Adkins netted a free kick from 20 yards out, finding the left side of the goal. His goal put Butler ahead 2-0 in the 25th minute.
"I'm very pleased with the result and the performance," said Butler coach Paul Snape. "We challenged the guys to be more ruthless in front of the goal. We created a lot of chances and scored in multiple ways. The last two seasons, every game has been by one goal win or lose. We wanted the guys to build on the first goal by getting the second goal without compromising chances. We were able to do that well today."
In the second half, Postlewait was the offensive catalyst once again, delivering a ball through to the right side of the box. David Goldsmith got behind the defense and fired a shot from eight yards out that found the net. It was Goldsmith's third goal of the young season. A similar sequence of events led to the final goal of the match, but with Charlie Constantino making the pass and Nolan Schloneger scoring the goal. That made the score 4-0 in the 82nd minute.
Butler took 15 shots to Drake's nine, and held a 6-2 advantage in corner kicks. Butler goalkeeper Eric Dick made six saves on the afternoon, registering his second shutout to improve to 3-0-1.
"We defended well today," said Snape. "Eric had great presence back there and our back line played well. This is a great result going into the IU match."
Butler's homestand continues Wednesday night when in-state rival Indiana comes to the Butler Bowl. The teams tied in Bloomington in 2014 after a game for the ages at the Butler Bowl in 2013. Down 2-0 to the defending national champions late in the second half, Butler scored two goals in the final five minutes of regulation to force overtime. Goldsmith netted the game-winner in the 103rd minute. More than 5,000 fans attended the match, a Butler record.
"We feel we can play with anyone in the country and IU is one of the premier programs," said Snape. "We'll need a fantastic effort to get the win, but it should be a great match and a great opportunity for fans to see high-level soccer."
Wednesday's match begins at 7:30 p.m.
