A brisk fall breeze, a packed Mediacom Stadium and a women’s soccer Missouri Valley Conference championship game on the line set the stage for a riveting final between two powerhouse teams on Nov. 5. On one side of the pitch stood the Drake Bulldogs, a team that held the best conference record in the MVC at 8-1-1 and an all-time program high number of wins with 13 total. Across the pitch stood the Valparaiso Beacons, a team that struggled in the MVC with a 3-3-4 conference record but managed an 11-6-6 overall record.
Drake had defeated Valpairaso earlier in the regular season by a score of 2-1.