Successful trip to memphis
? Bradley opened the 2008 regular season over the weekend, winning two games to claim the Memphis Diadora Tournament championship.
? The Braves topped host Memphis, 4-0, on Friday night, followed by a 2-1 win over UAB Sunday afternoon.
? Friday's four-goal victory over Memphis was the largest margin of victory for the Braves since a 4-0 win over Vanderbilt Oct. 3, 2003.
? Junior forward Chris Cutshaw scored three goals and added an assist to earn tournament MVC honors.
? Juniors Grant Campbell and Travis English and sophomore goalkeeper Drew Van Kampen joined English on the All-Tournament team.
starting strong
? Friday's victory improved Bradley to 14-6-2 all-time in season openers.
? The Braves have won seven consecutive season openers, last losing a season debut Aug. 31, 2001, a 4-3 setback against Valparaiso.
? Head coach Jim DeRose is now 12-1-0 in season opening matches.
Solid debut for drew
? 2008 marked just the third time since 2002 the Braves started the season with a new goalkeeper.
? Sophomore Drew Van Kampen made three saves to earn a shutout Friday against Memphis.
? For the weekend, Van Kampen made 11 saves, allowing only one goal against the 35 total shots he faced.
? Counting the 17-minutes, 32-seconds he played during his redshirt freshman season, Van Kampen started his BU career with a scoreless streak of 167-minutes, 7-seconds.
freshmen contributions - again
? After true freshmen Bobby Smith and Keith Mach accounted for half of Bradley's goal scoring during the two-game exhibtion slate, a pair of freshmen were at it again for the Braves in Friday's opener against Memphis.
? Freshman Christian Meza needed just 71 seconds to record his first collegiate goal, a strike from inside the box that jump started a four-goal attack for the Braves.
? Bryan Gaul, another true freshman, provided insurance in the 46th minute, putting home a rebound on an assist from Justin Bigelow.
Home sweet home
? After opening the season away from Central Illinois for the first time in 15 years, the Braves will open the home portion of the 2008 schedule this Friday against Western Illinois.
? The game marks the beginning of the sixth home slate at Shea Stadium, where the Braves own an all-time record of 41-14-5.
? The Braves went 9-2-0 at home last season, including a five-game home win streak to end the year.
instate rivals invade peoria
? This weekend's home slate includes visits from Western Illinois and Northern Illinois.
? The Braves will host the Leathernecks Friday night at 7 p.m. and the Huskies Sunday at 1 p.m.
on Oct. 17, 2006 in the Western's previous visit to Shea Stadium.
Leathernecks up first
? Bradley and Western Illinois will meet on the pitch for the sixth consecutive season and 21st time overall this Friday when the Leathernecks visit Shea Stadium.
? The Braves own a 13-7-0 record against the rivals from Macomb, including a 3-0 victory at Western Illinois last season.
? In Western's last visit to Shea Stadium, the Leathernecks defeated Bradley, 3-2, on Oct. 17, 2006.
Northern on sunday
? Northern Illinois will make its second visit to Shea Stadium on Sunday for a 1 p.m. match.
? Bradley and Northern Illinois did not meet in 2007, but the Braves dropped their match in DeKalb, 1-0, on Sept. 10, 2006.
? Northern Illinois leads the all-time series, 8-5-2.
the drive for 200
? After the Braves started the season with a pair of victories, Bradley's all-time record sits at 196-199-36 (.494).
? The Braves need four more victories to eclipse the 200 win mark.
? Head coach Jim DeRose improved his career record at BU to 145-85-25 (.618).
? DeRose now owns 74 percent of the program's all-time victories.
