PEORIA, Ill. - Bradley freshman midfielder Keegan Balle (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley H.S.) scored his first career goal in the 94th minute, lifting the Braves (4-5-1) to a 2-1, overtime victory against visiting IPFW (2-8-0) Friday night at Shea Stadium.

Bradley dominated the match from the outset, but the Mastadons forced overtime when Jorge Ramirez converted a penalty kick with 13 seconds left in regulation for a 1-1 tie.  Ramirez's first goal of the season came on IPFW's only shot on goal of the match.  The Braves outshot IPFW 23-8 and finished with an 11-1 advantage in corner kicks.

Bradley missed on three great scoring chances in the opening minutes and were forced to go into halftime scoreless.  Despite Bradley's 10-2 advantage in shots and a pair of missed breakaway opportunities, IPFW came up empty on the best scoring opportunity of the half.  The team's leading scorer, Max Touloute (five goals on the year) got behind the Bradley defense and got a running start at the Bradley goal.  Freshman keeper Brian Billings left his line to challenge Touloute 30 yards from the goal and was able to slide and knock the ball away from the Mastadon striker.

The Braves kept the pressure up in the second half and eventually broke through when Keith Mach (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale South H.S.) served a perfect corner kick from the right side to the front of the goal in the 79th minute.  Junior forward Bryan Gaul (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley H.S.), the tallest player on the field at 6-foot-4, rose above the crowd and headed home his fifth goal of the year at 78:08.

It appeared Gaul's goal would be the only score of the game until Corey Thompson broke across the top right of the penalty area.  Billings again came off his line and clipped Thompson, setting up Ramirez's tying penalty kick.

The Braves did not let the stunning turn of events slow them, however, and turned their 11th corner kick of the game into the winner.  After freshman Aodhan Quinn's right-sided corner service was cleared outside the penalty area, senior midfielder Rudy Garcia (Peoria, Ill./Notre Dame H.S.) collected the ball 25 yards from the goal on the left side of the box. He took one touch and rocketed a low shot through the box and Balle back-heeled the ball at the right post for the winner.

The Braves will have little time to celebrate the dramatic win, however, as they begin their trek to Houston tonight for Sunday's 1 p.m. game at Houston Baptist.