PEORIA, Ill. ? In partnership with the Braves Club booster organization, the Bradley Department of Athletics has made arrangements for three bus trip options to allow fans to make the trip to Columbus, Ohio for Sunday's NCAA Men's Soccer Championship quarterfinal game between the #21 Braves (16-5-4) and #10 Ohio State (15-3-5) at Jesse Owens Stadium.
Reservations are required for each of the three bus trip options and may be made through the Bradley Ticket Office in Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse (309-677-2625). Full payment is required when making reservations. The pricing listed below does not include the cost of the game ticket, which will be $8 for adults and $5 for children and students.
Day Trip for Students
Bradley University students wishing to make the trip to Columbus Sunday morning may ride for for $5. The student bus(es) will depart Robertson Fieldhouse at 5 a.m. Sunday with an approximate return to Peoria 9:30 Sunday night. As of 3 o'clock Monday afternoon, students reservations already had filled three buses. Reservations will be accepted until 5 p.m. Thursday.
Day Trip for General Fans
Similar to the student bus, general fans may make a day trip to Columbus, departing the fieldhouse at 5 a.m. with the same 9:30 p.m. approximate return. The day trip cost for general fans is $50, whil Braves Club members and their immediate families may ride for $40 each. Reservations will be accepted until 5 p.m. Thursday
Overnight Trip for General Fans
For fans wishing to make an overnight trip to Columbus, Bradley will have charter coach buses ready to depart from the Markin Tennis Courts Saturday at 11 a.m. with an expected return to Peoria at approximately 9:30 Sunday night. Fans making the overnight trip are asked to park in the auxillary lot on the corner of Bradley and Maplewood. The cost of the overnight trip varies based on lodging requirements: $180 for an individual king room $125 each for a double room for general fans with the same $10 discount for Braves Club members and their immediate families. The cost of the trip includes round-trip transportation and Saturday night lodging in Columbus.
Both the Braves and Buckeyes have reached the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship for the first time in their respective program histories and both battled back from 2-goal deficits in the second halves of their third-round games. Bradley scored twice in the final 2:31 of regulation, then netted the sudden victory game-winner by sophomore Chris Cutshaw with 1-minute, 15-seconds left in the second overtime for a thrilling 3-2 victory Saturday night at No. 13 seed Maryland.
The winner of Sunday's quarterfinal game will advance to the 2007 Men's Soccer College Cup, the college soccer equivalent of the Final Four. The College Cup will be played at SAS Soccer Park in the Raleigh suburb of Cary, N.C. The semifinals will be played Dec. 14 and the national championship game set for Dec. 16.
