PEORIA, Ill. -- The Bradley Soccer program will host national power Notre Dame in the inaugural Danny Dahlquist Memorial Game on Saturday. The game against the Fighting Irish will will kick off at 2 p.m. at Shea Stadium (1523 W. Nebraska Ave.).
“We are extremely excited to have the University of Notre Dame partner with us for this inaugural event,” said DeRose. “I cannot thank Coach (Bobby) Clark and his staff enough for their participation. Notre Dame is certainly one of the finest college soccer programs in the country and the University of Notre Dame is synonymous with excellence.
“This match is a tribute to Danny and the entire Dahlquist Family,” DeRose added. “The dollars generated will ensure that Danny's memory and legacy is forever cemented through the Memorial Fund and his endowed scholarship. We anticipate this event becoming a long-standing tradition and a way for people to annually remember how special Danny and the Dahlquist Family are to not just Bradley University, Peoria Notre Dame High School and St. Mark's Parish, but to our entire community as well.”
General admission seating will be $5 for the April 4 game against Notre Dame, while children under seven will be admitted for free. Bradley University students with ID also will receive free admission, but may make donations of their choice at the entrance. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the Shea Stadium Box Office, Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. or by calling the Bradley Soccer Office at 309-677-CISA (2472). Parking will be free for the game.
With the cost of admission, fans also will receive a ticket for a 2009 regular-season Bradley Soccer home game and a discount card for 2009 Central Illinois Soccer Academy camps.
Following the game, the Shea Stadium field will be open for a series of “Friends of Danny” scrimmage matches. Cost to participate in the scrimmages, which will be open to both genders, is $10 per person and individuals interested in participating may register at the gate. The soccer program also will be conducting a “Garage Sale” during the game with old game jerseys and team warm-ups available for purchase, along with new apparel.
Bradley won three consecutive Missouri Valley Conference regular-season titles from 2005-07 and the Braves have played in four NCAA Tournaments, most-recently making a run to the national quarterfinals of the 2007 NCAA Tournament. Clark is preparing for his ninth season at Notre Dame, where he has coached the Fighting Irish to a 106-45-22 (.676) record and eight consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Although Notre Dame was upset by Northwestern in the second round of the 2008 postseason to cap a 12-7-2 season, the Fighting Irish reached the Elite Eight in both 2006 and 2007.
Notre Dame owns a 3-2-0 all-time regular-season record against Bradley, but the last time it visited Peoria, the Braves pulled out a 3-2 victory against the fifth-ranked Fighting Irish Sept. 12, 2002 at Morton's McClallen Park.
