PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley head coach Jim DeRose traditionally challenges his team with a difficult schedule, but as DeRose prepares for his 12th year with the Braves, he has raised the bar to a new level with a non-conference schedule that should rank as one of the most difficult in the country. Including the annual clash against Missouri Valley Conference rival Creighton, Bradley will play seven conference champions and eight teams that participated in the 2006 NCAA Tournament.
Not only will Bradley face one-sixth of the 48-team field from 2006 NCAA Tournament, but four of those teams received first-round byes for ranking among the field's top 14 seeds, another won its first-round game and one reached the College Cup semifinals in St. Louis. In addition to the challenging matchups in Bradley's 20-game regular-season schedule, DeRose noted the Oct. 10 game at Creighton has been selected for broadcast by Fox Soccer Channel as the NSCAA Game of the Week.
“This schedule certainly is the ultimate risk-reward schedule,” said DeRose. “The reward is our fourth NCAA Tournament bid in seven years and the risk is our first losing season in 11 years.
“In addition to the strength of our schedule, we are one of the few teams in the country that will play the full allotment of 20 regular-season games, with no exhibitions,” added DeRose. “It is my belief that student-athletes want to be challenged on a daily basis, and in our program we preach that every player on our roster can contribute when called upon. This schedule will challenge our talent and depth from Day One through the conference tournament. ”
For the eighth consecutive year Bradley will open the regular season by hosting its own tournament. The Braves will be joined in the 11th Holiday Inn City Centre Classic by Eastern Illinois, as well as Atlantic Sun members Belmont and Lipscomb. Following the tournament opening games at 5 p.m. both days involving Eastern Illinois, Bradley will play at 7:30, Aug. 31 against Lipscomb and Sept. 1 versus Belmont.
The Braves will stay in tournament mode for the second weekend of the season by joining national powers Akron, North Carolina and the host Demon Deacons in the Wake Forest Tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C. Bradley will take on North Carolina Sept. 7 in the tournament opener, followed by a clash against Wake Forest in the tournament finale Sept. 9. The No. 14 seed in the 2006 NCAA Tournament, North Carolina was upset in the second round by Old Dominion, but Wake Forest rode its No. 2 national seed to the College Cup semifinals in St. Louis, where the Demon Deacons lost a shootout decision to eventual national champion UC Santa Barbara after playing the Gouchos to a scoreless draw.
The Wake Forest Tournament will start a string of five consecutive games, as well as seven of nine, against teams that played in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. Bradley will remain on the road for a Sept. 13 game against Mid-Continent Conference regular-season and tournament champion Western Illinois, then will return home to host Big East Conference Red Division champion Cincinnati Sept. 16 and Atlantic 10 regular-season champion Saint Louis Sept. 22 in a pair of historic matches. The Bradley Soccer program will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its promotion to NCAA status during the weekend of the game against the Bearcats. Saint Louis, which has won more national championships (10) than any program in college soccer history, will be making its first-ever visit to Peoria for the Sept. 22 clash at Shea Stadium.
After taking on IUPUI Sept. 28 to cap the first day of the Bradley Homecoming Classic, the Braves will close their second home tournament by taking on Horizon League champion Illinois-Chicago Sept. 29. Missouri State will play the same teams in the 5 p.m. games both days, followed by the Bradley games at 7:30. The Homecoming Classic will coincide with Bradley University's Homecoming Weekend and will feature the annual Homecoming Parade from campus to Shea Stadium and a post-tournament fireworks show.
Following the Bradley Homecoming Classic, the Braves will play five of their next six games on the road, beginning with a visit to UMKC Oct. 3. Bradley will begin defense of its back-to-back Valley regular-season titles by visiting Creighton Oct. 10, before another non-conference road trip to Western Michigan Oct. 14. The Braves will play their first Valley home game Oct. 17 by hosting Evansville, then will hit the road again for games at Missouri State Oct. 20 and Oral Roberts Oct. 22.
Bradley will close the regular season by playing three of its final five games at home, beginning with a visit from Drake Oct. 27. Former Braves assistant coach Chad Flanders will bring his Central Arkansas squad to Peoria for a second consecutive season, this time an Oct. 29 game at Shea Stadium. Bradley will visit Eastern Illinois Nov. 4 then will travel to Dallas for the non-conference finale against former Valley rival SMU Nov. 7, before closing the regular season at home Nov. 10 against Western Kentucky. Although SMU, which was the No. 3 seed in last year's NCAA Tournament after sweeping the Conference USA regular-season and tournament titles, was a dominant program in The Valley during its league membership from 2000 through 2004, Bradley battled the Mustangs to a 3-3-3 stalemate in their nine meetings in those five seasons.
The 2007 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship, which will feature the top six finishers during the 7-team regular-season race, will be contested at Creighton's Morrison Stadium in Omaha, Neb.
Bradley plays its home soccer games at Shea Stadium, located on Nebraska Avenue two blocks west of University Street, in Peoria. Single-game tickets for Bradley Soccer are $5 for adults and $2 for youth (K-12) with a Family Pass available for $12, allowing admission for up two two adults and four children. Bradley University faculty, staff and students, as well as active U.S. military members and their immediate families, receive free admission with a valid ID. Season tickets are $40 for adults and $18 for youth. Single-game parking at Shea Stadium is $2 per vehicle and a season parking pass is available for $18. For more ticket information, contact the Bradley Athletics Ticket Office at (309) 677-2625.
