Only One Game This Week, But It's A Biggie
After racing to a 4-1-1 start through the season's first three weeks, Bradley will have six days to prepare for its only game of Week 4, Saturday night's home game against nationally-ranked Saint Louis (2-1-2). The teams will meet in a 7 p.m. clash at Shea Stadium.
Saturday's game against the Billikens will be Bradley's fourth straight versus a defending league champion. The Braves bounced back from its only loss of the year, a 3-0 setback Sept. 9 at defending ACC champion #1 Wake Forest, by knocking off reigning Summit League champion Western Illinois by the same 3-0 score Thursday in Macomb, then followed with Sunday afternoon's 1-0 victory against defending Big East Red Division champion Cincinnati at Shea Stadium.
Despite their relative proximity, the campuses are separated by just 170 miles of interstate highway, Saturday's game will be just the fourth all-time men's soccer game between Bradley and Saint Louis. The Billikens have won the three previous meetings by a combined 19-0 cumulative score, most recenlty a 1-0 result Nov. 2, 2003 at Hermann Stadium.
Midfield Magic
? All four Bradley goals scored last week were netted by midfield players, including two by sophomore Grant Campbell.
? Senior Drew DeGurian contributed the game-winning goal Thursday at Western Illinois and added an assist against the Leathernecks to remain the team's leading scorer on the season with eight points on three goals and two assists.
? Freshman Packy Amundsen scored his first career goal at Western Illinois when he took possession near midfield and dribbled his way through the Leathernecks defense for Bradley's second tally Thursday evening.
? Campbell added Thursday's final goal and netted the only goal of Sunday's 1-0 victory against Cincinnati to complete Bradley's scoring for the week.
Defense Locked In
? After each of the first four opponents got off more shots than the Braves, Bradley's defense locked down Western Illinois and Cincinnati in a pair of shutout wins last week.
? Bradley outshot Western Illinois, 12-7, and allowed the host Leathernecks only two shots on goal.
? The Braves followed up Thursday's defensive gem by outshooting Cincinnati, 14-9, and limiting the Bearcats to just three shots on goal.
? Senior back Teddy Anderson, a converted forward, continues to shine in the Bradley backfield and neutralized the top offensive players from Western Illinois (Martin Browne, Jr.) and Cincinnati (Kenny Anaba).
? The duo entered their games against Bradley with a combined five goals and an assist, but were limited to a total of just one shot on goal against the Braves.
Efficient Offense
? Although the opposition has managed 28 more shots than Bradley this season, the Braves have managed to put three more shots on target.
? Through the season's first six games, 33 of Bradley's 64 shots have been on goal.
? The team's current .516 shots-on-goal percentage is Bradley's best since the 1996 Braves set the school record by placing 62.0 percent of their shots on target.
Blanked By The Billikens
? As Bradley prepares to host Saint Louis for the first time Saturday, the Braves also will be looking for their first-ever goal versus the Billikens.
? Bradley is 0-3 all-time against Saint Louis and the Billikens boast a 19-0 all-time scoring edge in the series.
? After Saint Louis won the first two meetings by a combined 18-0 score during Bradley's first two NCAA Division I seasons in 1987 (7-0) and 1988 (11-0), the teams did not meet again until the 2003 campaign, when the host Billikens prevailed 1-0.
Billikens Bring Ranking To Shea
? After the Billikens downed Loyola Marymount (1-0) and #2 Indiana (2-1) to share the championship of the Saint Louis/Nike Soccer Classic with Creighton this past week, Saint Louis is expected to become the highest-ranked non-conference opponent to visit Shea Stadium.
? Since the stadium opened for the 2003 season, Bradley has played five home games against nationally-ranked opponents, but four of those games have been against Valley rival Creighton.
? Coastal Carolina was ranked as high as No. 17 in the national polls when the Chanticleers earned a 3-0 victory against the Braves Sept. 20, 2003 at Shea Stadium.
? Overall, Bradley is 7-12-1 at home against nationally-ranked teams, including a 1-4-0 mark at Shea Stadium.
? Bradley's only win against a nationally-ranked team at Shea Stadium was the 2-1 victory against #15 Creighton Oct. 28, 2006 and Bradley's last home win against a nationally-ranked non-Valley opponent was a 3-2 upset of #5 Notre Dame Sept. 19, 2002 at Morton's McClallen Park.
