Bradley to Battle Bluejays for Valley Title
A share of the 2006 Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship will be on the line when Bradley (7-7-3, 3-1-1) hosts perennial league power Creighton (10-3-3, 4-0-1) Saturday night in the annual Homecoming game at Shea Stadium. Saturday's regular-season finale will feature the Valley's two 2005 champions: Bradley won its second regular-season league title last year, while Creighton downed the Braves 2-0 in the championship game of the 2005 State Farm MVC Tournament at Shea Stadium.
If the Braves gain the three points in the Valley standings with a victory Saturday night, they will tie Creighton for the 2006 regular-season league title and earn the No. 1 seed for next week's State Farm MVC Tournament, which will be contested Nov. 1, 3, 5 at Shea Stadium. A draw against the Bluejays will leave Bradley the regular-season runner-up and the No. 2 seed for the tournament, which would give the Braves a similar bye into the tournament semifinals. A loss, however, could drop the Braves as low as tied for third in the standings and the No. 4 seed for the tournament.
Bell Heating Up
? Bradley senior midfielder Zach Bell (Rochester, Ill./Rochester H.S.) had a big offensive week for the Braves last week.
? Bell scored a pair of second-half goals Tuesday versus Western Illinois and assisted Bradley's opening goal in Saturday's 2-1 win at Western Kentucky.
? The team's leading scorer last year with seven goals and 18 points, Bell's hot week put him on top of the team's scoring chart this year with six goals and 14 points.
Road Success the Key
? Bradley will get a chance to defend its regular-season Missouri Valley Conference title Saturday because the Braves continue to succeed on the Valley road.
? By earning a 2-1 victory Saturday at Western Kentucky, the Braves completed their three-game league road slate with a 2-0-1 record.
? The Braves are now 4-0-1 in their last five Valley road games and boast 6-1-2 (.778) record in conference road games the last three years.
Homecoming Festivities
? Saturday's game between Bradley and Creighton will serve as the marquee attraction for the school's annual Homecoming Weekend.
? Saturday's contest will be preceded by a parade from campus to Shea Stadium and a large tailgate party, and the game will be followed by a fireworks spectacular.
Homecoming Crowds
? Saturday's game versus Creighton will be the fourth Homecoming game scheduled for the Braves, an event that was added following the construction of Shea Stadium.
? The first three Homecoming games have produced an average of 1,930 fans.
Bradley-Creighton Series History
? Creighton has dominated the all-time series versus Bradley, boasting a 17-3-0 lead in the series that dates back Sept. 28, 1990.
? The Bluejays are working on an eight-game winning streak in the series.
? The series started with an eight-game Creighton winning streak, but the Braves responded by winning three of the next four, beginning with a 1-0 victory Nov. 6, 1998 at Becker Park to secure at least a share of the 1998 Missouri Valley Conference regular-season crown.
? Creighton head coach Bob Warming owns a 13-0-0 record against the Braves.
Looking for Consecutive Wins
? Coming off last Saturday night's 2-1 win at Western Kentucky, Bradley will be trying for consecutive wins for just the second time this season.
? Bradley's only winning streak of the season was a three-game streak from Sept. 15 through Sept. 22.
