PEORIA, Ill. -- For just the third time in the program's 21-year history, the Bradley Soccer Team will take on the top-ranked team in the nation when the Braves (2-0-0) challenge host Wake Forest (2-0-0) in the final game of this weekend's Wake Forest Tournament Sunday afternoon at W. Dennie Spry Stadium.
Bradley will open the tournament at 4 p.m. (CT) Friday by facing traditional Atlantic Coast Conference power North Carolina (0-1-1), which was the No. 14 seed in the 2006 NCAA Tournament but fell out of the national rankings after going winless in its season-opening home tournament this past weekend. After a day off, the Braves will face Wake Forest in Sunday's 1:30 p.m. (CT) tournament finale. The Demon Deacons, who are ranked No. 1 by Soccer America, the NSCAA and SoccerTimes.com, are the defending ACC regular-season champions and reached the 2006 College Cup semifinals.
Bradley's two previous games against the nation's top-ranked team were both played against then Missouri Valley Conference rival SMU during the 2001 season and resulted in a pair of 2-0 losses -- Oct. 28 at SMU and Nov. 16 during the MVC Tournament semifinals in Maryland Heights, Mo. Despite the two 2001 losses to the top-ranked Mustangs, Bradley is 3-3-2 all-time against teams ranked among the nation's top five. Only two of those eight games were played against teams other than SMU: a 3-0 loss to #2 Creighton Oct. 1, 1993 at Becker Park and a 3-2 win against #5 Notre Dame Sept. 19, 2002 at McClallen Park.
Bradley's participation in the Wake Forest Tournament will mark the team's first-ever trip to the state of North Carolina and just the second and third games ever against teams from the ACC. Bradley dropped a 3-1 decision against North Carolina in the opening game of Creighton's 1999 Diadora Challenge. In their only other game against a team from the Tar Heel State, Bradley earned a 3-2 victory against UNC-Asheville during the 1997 Kentucky/NIKE Invitational in Lexington, Ky.
After Friday's tournament opener against North Carolina, six of Bradley's next eight games will be played against teams that won at least a share of their respective regular-season league championships in 2006. Following Sunday's game against ACC champion Wake Forest, Bradley will visit Summit League champion Western Illinois Sept. 13, then will host Big East Red Division champion Cincinnati Sept. 16 and Atlantic 10 champion #14 Saint Louis Sept. 22.
Bradley vs. the Top 5
Date Opponent Result
10/1/93 #2 Creighton L, 0-3
11/10/00 vs. #5 SMU W, 1-0
10/28/01 at #1 SMU L, 0-2
11/16/01 vs. #1 SMU L, 0-2
9/19/02 #5 Notre Dame W, 3-2
10/13/02 #5 SMU (2ot) T, 1-1
11/15/02 vs. #3 SMU (2ot) W, 0-0$
11/12/04 vs. #3 SMU (2ot) T, 1-1!
$ Bradley was credited with the victory after winning a PK shootout, 3-1, in the semifinals of the MVC Tournament.
! SMU won a PK shootout, 5-3, in the semifinals of the 2004 MVC Tournament
