PEORIA, Ill. -- For the second week in a row, Bradley has produced the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week honor as senior goalkeeper Mike Haynes (Dunlap, Ill./Dunlap H.S.) claimed the honor today, according to an annoucement from the league office this morning.
Haynes was recognized for his effort in helping the Braves (9-4-3, 2-0-2 MVC) to a pair of victories last week. He made three saves in last Monday's 2-1 win at Oral Roberts, then came back with five stops in Saturday's 1-0 Valley victory against Drake at Shea Stadium. By keeping the top scoring team in The Valley off the board for the second time this season, Haynes helped the Braves jump two spots into second place in the league standings with eight points.
The award for Haynes comes a week after senior sweeper Joe Donoho (Tampa, Fla./Jesuit H.S.) earned the same honor. Donoho responded to last week's Valley Defensive Player of the Week award by scoring the game-winning goal in last Monday's 2-1 win at Oral Roberts. He also keyed the defensive effort that limited Drake and Oral Roberts to just nine total shots on goal in the two Bradley wins this past week.
Bradley will try extend its winning streak to three games for the first time this season Monday evening when the Braves host Central Arkansas (6-7-0) in a 5:30 p.m. “Ghost Out” event at Shea Stadium. Tailgating will begin at 4 o'clock today and will include guest appearances by Dora, Tigger, Elmo, Sponge Bob and Balloon Man. Everyone in attendance at tonight's game will receive a t-shirt and the admission price -- $5 for adults and $2 for youth (k-12) -- will include a hot dog, chips and a drink from the concessions stand.
Following tonight's non-conference tilt versus Central Arkansas, the Braves will hit the road for two games against a pair of 10-win teams, beginning with another big Missouri Valley Conference clash Saturday afternoon at Eastern Illinois (10-4-3, 2-1-1). Bradley then will renew an old MVC rivalry when the Braves visit #1 SMU (11-2-2) Nov. 7 in Dallas. If the Mustangs maintain their No. 1 national ranking this week, next week's battle will mark the second time this season Bradley will have challenged the nation's top-ranked team on the road. During the season's second week, Bradley dropped a 3-0 decision at then No. 1 Wake Forest.
