PEORIA, Ill.
? Bradley sophomore goalkeeper Drew Van Kampen (Naperville, Ill./Waubsonsie Valley H.S.) made two saves to notch his second career shutout, but the Braves could not convert on the offensive end as #17 Bradley and Northern Illinois played to a 0-0 draw Sunday afternoon at Shea Stadium.
The Braves attacked early, narrowly missed a scoring opportunity on the third of three consecutive corner kicks in the 13th minute. Freshman Bryan Gaul (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley H.S.) put a shot past Northern Illinois goalkeeper Joe Zimka, but Huskie defender Kyle Knotek stopped the shot just inside the right post for a team save.
The hosts threatened again in the 35th minute when junior Chris Cutshaw's (Carmel, Ind./Carmel H.S.) header off a throw in was knocked down by Zimka. Just six minutes later, Northern's Tim King put a shot on goal that was stopped by junior Travis English (Tucson, Ariz./Catalina Foothills H.S.) for a team save. Bradley outshot Northern Illinois 8-4 in the game's first 45 minutes.
In the 58th minute, Cutshaw had two opportunities from inside the box. After his first shot was blocked, Cutshaw regained control of the ball to have his second effort knocked down by Zimka. It was the only shot on goal from either team during the second half. Cutshaw recorded his third on shot on goal of the game during the first overtime, but his drive in the 95th minute was knocked down by Zimka.
Zimka made four saves to earn the shutout. Zimka's counterpart, Van Kampen, lowered his season goals against average to 0.47 after not allowing a goal in a game for the second time in as many weeks.
Sunday marked the first scoreless draw for Bradley since the 2006 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinals, as the Braves and Drake needed penalty kicks for the Braves to prevail on Nov. 3, 2006 at Shea Stadium.
The Braves will make their first of three trips to Evansville next weekend to take part in the ProRehab Aces Soccer Classic. Bradley will face Valparaiso Friday at 5 p.m., the first meeting between the schools since 2001. The Braves will play North Florida Sunday at 11 a.m. to finish the two-game trip to Indiana.
