Box Score BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- Bradley senior forward Preston Good (Newark, Calif./Moreau Catholic H.S.) assisted the tying goal and netted the game-winner, leading the Braves (8-5-2, 4-1-1) to a 3-2, come-from-behind Missouri Valley Conference men's soccer victory Friday night at Western Kentucky (5-10, 1-6).
With three games still remaining in the regular season, Bradley clinched a spot in the eight-team State Farm MVC Tournament next month. Bradley takes over sole possession of third place in the league standings with 13 points for at least a day. Drake (3-2-1 in the Valley) entered the weekend tied with Bradley for the third spot. The Bulldogs will host their league travel partner, Creighton, Saturday in Des Moines. The Bluejays and SMU began the weekend tied atop the Valley standings with 15 points.
Bradley outshot the host Hilltoppers by a 19-8 count for the game and allowed Western Kentucky only three first-half shots. Unfortunately for the Braves, two of those three shots found the back of the net, allowing the Hilltoppers to take a 2-1 halftime lead.
Hilltopper midfielder Jacob Isenhour gave the hosts the early lead, scoring his first goal of the season in the sixth minute. Bradley senior midfielder Luke Kreamalmeyer (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville H.S.) pulled the Braves even in the 24th minute when he took a feed from Joe Ducci (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central H.S.) and hit a line drive into the top left corner from 15 yards out for his team-leading seventh goal of the season.
Western Kentucky came right back, though, and reclaimed the advantage in the 27th minute when Richard Mupfudze scored his seventh goal of the year by heading home a long throw from Scott DeGaris.
With Bradley outgunning the Hilltoppers by a 12-5 margin in the second half, Good finally made the attack pay off midway through the period. In the 63rd minute, Bradley's active career scoring leader fed junior Kevin Erickson (Tyrone, Ga./Sandy Creek H.S.) for the tying goal. Good then finished off a Kreamalmeyer cross from five yards out at 72:11 to earn his fourth goal of the season and second game-winner.
The Braves, who ran their unbeaten streak to four games (3-0-1) and improved to 4-1-2 in their last seven games, will try to keep the momentum going Sunday afternoon when they visit Vanderbilt.
