KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Following an early goal-scoring flurry, Sunday's non-conference soccer game between Bradley and Western Michigan settled into a defensive stalemate and the host Broncos (7-7-0) made Tom Oatley's goal in the 28th minute stand up for a 2-1 victory at the WMU Soccer Complex.
Playing their third straight road game, the Braves (6-4-2) surrendered the game's first goal in the ninth mintue when C.J. Brown finished off a run through the right side of the penalty area for his third goal of the year at 8:10. Bradley pulled even in the 18th minute when Drew DeGurian scored for the second consecutive game by finishing off a corner kick from the middle of the box for his fifth goal of the year at 17:30.
In keeping with the early rhythm of the game, Oatley netted his fifth goal of the year at 27:17 by knocking home a rebound, following Mike Haynes' save of a Tyler Rosenhagen blast.
The Braves appeared to have the game's early advantage, firing off three shots inside the first seven minutes, but the Broncos spoiled the early advantage when Brown scored on Western Michigan's first shot of the game. While the teams combined for 13 shots in the first 28 minutes, they managed only nine more over the course of the final 62 minutes. Having regained the lead, Western Michigan turned up its defensive effort and limited the Braves to just three shots, and just one on goal, in those final 62 minutes.
In the middle of a six-game stretch that will see the Braves play five road games, Bradley will make a brief appearance at Shea Stadium Wednesday by hosting Evansville at 7 p.m. in its Missouri Valley Conference home opener. Following last week's 2-2 draw at #8 Creighton in its league opener, Bradley will be trying to keep pace with the Bluejays (6-1-4, 1-0-1) and Drake (8-3-2, 1-0-1) in the early Valley race. Following Wednesday's game, Bradley will be back on the road for games Saturday at Missouri State and oct. 22 at Oral Roberts.
Single-game ticket prices for regular-season Bradley games at Shea Stadium are $5 for adults, $2 for youth (K-12) and free for Bradley University students, faculty and staff, as well as active members of the military and their immediate families, all with valid identification.
