PEORIA, Ill. - Wednesday night's Missouri Valley Conference soccer clash against Drake will kick off a busy week of athletics activity during Bradley University's annual Homecoming schedule.
Wednesday's schedule will begin with the second annual Braves Club Soccer Gameday Luncheon at WeaverRidge Golf Course. The 11:30 a.m. luncheon will feature Bradley head coach Jim DeRose and his Drake counterpart Sean Holmes, two coaches that have combined for six NCAA Tournament appearances and a pair of Elite Eight runs this decade. Visit the Braves Club page at BradleyBraves.com for more information.
The two Valley rivals will meet on the field at Shea Stadium at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Wednesday's game will be the 30th all-time meeting between the Braves (5-6-1, 0-1-0 MVC) and Drake (5-5-1, 1-0-0 MVC) and the Bulldogs have won three straight in the series for a slim 13-12-4 advantage. Single-game tickets for Bradley Soccer home games are $6 for adults, $3 for children (grades k-12) and free for Bradley University students, faculty and staff, as well as active members of the military and their immediate families, all with valid identification.
After an "off" day Thursday, the busy athletics schedule will pick up Friday with the 2 p.m. dedication ceremony for Bradley University's new arena. The event is free to the public and will include self-guided tours of the new $50 million facility immediately following the dedication program.
The Bradley Men's and Women's Cross Country teams will host the seventh annual Bradley Classic at Newman Golf Course. The women's 6-kilometer race will begin at 4 p.m. and the men's 8-kilometer race will follow at 4:45. The Bradley Classic will serve as a preview to the 2010 NCAA Midwest Regional, also to be hosted by Bradley at Newman Golf Course Nov. 13, and will include fields of 19 women's teams and 18 men's squads. Admission to the Bradley Classic is free.
The newest addition to the Bradley Basketball preseason schedule is the inaugural Hoopla on the Hilltop, which begins Friday at 9 p.m. in the new arena. The Hoopla event celebrates the official start to the 2010-11 college basketball season and will include spotlighted introductions of the Bradley men's and women's basketball teams, non-basketball performances by both squads and the opportunity for one lucky fan to shoot for $10,000. In order to enter the drawing for the Hoopla Half-Court Shot, text BUHOOPS to 69050 anytime before 9 p.m. Friday.
Among the plethora of activities on campus Saturday as part of the Homecoming schedule, the Bradley Baseball and Softball teams both will be hosting alumni games. The softball alumni game is set to begin at 11 a.m. at lower Laura Bradley Park, while the baseball alumni game and home run derby is slated for 1 p.m. at O'Brien Field.
After kicking off the Homecoming schedule, the Bradley Soccer team will conclude the busy week of activity Saturday night when the Braves host Valley newcomer Central Arkansas in a 6 p.m. contest at Shea Stadium. Saturday's pregame activities will include a large tailgate party at Shea Stadium. In addition to the Homecoming program, Saturday's game will serve as Youth Soccer Night and all youth soccer players will receive free admission by wearing their team jerseys to the game, while all children 12 and under will receive a coupon for a free Bradley Soccer clinic.
