CHICAGO ? The longest overtime unbeaten streak in the country came to an end Sunday night when Tonci Skroce scored in the 96th minute, leading Illinois-Chicago (3-0-1) to a 2-1, come-from-behind win versus Bradley (1-2-1) at Flames Field.
Prior to Sunday's game, the Braves had posted an 10-0-14 record in their previous 24 overtime games, an unbeaten streak that dated back to Nov. 12, 2000, a 2-1 loss to Creighton in the championship game of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
The fact that the game went to overtime was a sore point with the Bradley side. Illinois-Chicago scored the tying goal in the 83rd minute on Eric Cervantes' first goal of the season. The goal came after the Flames were awarded a corner kick, despite the signal from the linesman for a Bradley goal kick. Bradley initially cleared the corner kick, but Pat McMahon collected the clearance and set up Cervantes for the equalizer.
Before play resumed, Bradley head coach Jim DeRose was given a yellow card, then a red by official Roger Yonan. After the horn sounded at the end of regulation, Bradley freshman forward Chris Cutshaw also was sent off with a red card, the team's sixth card of the game.
Illinois-Chicago had not yielded a goal in any of its first three games, but Bradley junior Joe Donoho quickly put an end to the streak, scoring his first goal as a Brave in the game's sixth minute. Junior Drew DeGurian set up the goal with a long throw-in and the transfer from Rutgers got his foot on the ball in traffic in front of the goal, sneaking a shot by Flames keeper Jovan Bubonja.
Donoho's goal, however, proved to be Bradley's only shot on goal during the game. After Bradley got off the only two shots of the first half, Illinois-Chicago outgunned the Braves 15-1 over the final 51 minutes.
Bradley, which is now winless in its last three games since its season-opening 3-0 victory versus St. Francis (Pa.), will try to get back in the win column Friday when the Braves face Northwestern in the first game of the Northern Illinois adidas/Baymont Inn and Suites Classic in DeKalb. Bradley will face the host Huskies in Sunday's tournament finale.
