Bradley Starts the Home Stretch
? After playing five of its previous six games on the road, and getting through the stretch with a 3-1-2 record, Bradley will finish its 20-game schedule by playing three of its final five games at Shea Stadium.
? The home stretch began with a pivotal Missouri Valley Conference victory Saturday night against Drake (1-0) and will continue Monday with a non-conference tilt against Central Arkansas.
? The Braves will play their next two games on the road against a pair of 10-win teams, Saturday at MVC rival Eastern Illinois (10-4-3) and Nov. 7 at former Valley rival #5 SMU (11-2-2).
Tough Finish
? One of the few teams in the nation to play all 20 regular-season games allowed by the NCAA, Bradley still is squeezing five games into the final two weeks of its regular season.
? While negotiating the busy finish, Bradley is one of four teams in the nation that entered this past weekend with three games remaining against 9-win teams (Ohio State, Penn State and Canisius are the other three).
? Making matters more difficult, Bradley will play two of the three 9-win opponents on the road -- Eastern Illinois and SMU.
Welcome Back Drew
? Senior midfielder Drew DeGurian had missed Bradley's previous three games due to a staph infection that developed after Bradley's 2-1 loss Oct. 14 at Western Michigan.
? DeGurian returned to the pitch Saturday night against Drake and delivered the game's only goal in Bradley's 1-0 victory against the Bulldogs with a 54th minute strike.
? Despite missing the three games, DeGurian is Bradley's leading scorer with six goals and 15 points and Saturday's tally was his third game-winner of the year.
Monday Ghost Out
? Bradley will be sponsoring its first-ever “Ghost Out” when the Braves host Central Arkansas Monday evening at Shea Stadium.
? Bradley is encouraging its fans to attend Monday's 5:30 p.m. game at Shea Stadium wearing their Halloween costumes.
? The athletic department will distribute free T-shirts to everyone in attendance and trick-or-treat bags to kids.
? Pregame activities will begin at 4 p.m. Monday with face painting, hair braiding and appearances by Dora, Tigger, Sponge Bob, Elmo and Balloon Man.
? Paid admission also will include a hot dog, chips and drink from the concessions stand.
Lineup Shuffles Pay Off
? Bradley head coach Jim DeRose made a pair of unanticipated lineup changes that produced tremendous results last week.
? Sophomore midfielder Thiago Wong, who had played only a handful of minutes in 11 career games, earned his first career start Monday at Oral Roberts and delivered two assists inside the game's first six minutes, sparking Bradley to a 2-1 road victory.
? In Saturday's 1-0 Valley victory versus Drake, DeRose brought in forwards Graham Stockdale and Ken Hickman to start the second half.
? Stockdale, who sat out the 2006 season for the Braves after transferring from league rival Evansville, made his Bradley career debut with his second-half start against the Bulldogs and helped set up Bradley's game-winning goal in the 54th minute by pressuring a Drake defender into a give-away.
? Hickman, a sixth-year senior, assisted DeGurian's game-winner for his first assist of the season.
