A magical run for the Drake men’s soccer team continues on Friday when the Bulldogs visit North Carolina in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. The winner will advance to the College Cup which is soccer’s version of the final four. Drake advanced with a 6-4 win at Boston College on Sunday.
Drake coach Sean Holmes says every second has been fun, whether they have been sitting in a plane or in a bus, or having dinner. He says there’s no sense of expectation as they are not supposed to win and they just somehow do it.
The Bulldogs left today and Holmes says that will help the team get enough rest before Friday’s game. He says before the Ohio State game they got up at 3 a.m. to fly out 6 a.m. Saturday to play on Sunday. He says they spent their time sleeping instead of preparing.
Holmes says the tournament run has been a source of personal satisfaction for him. It is his 21st year as a coach and 12th at Drake and he says he wasn’t sure in the early years after losing a lot if they would be able to turn the corner. Holmes says they have gone from good to great and it has been smooth sailing since.
Drake is ranked 24th. North Carolina is fifth ranked.