2011 Bradley Soccer Game Notes
Oct. 19 vs. #3 Creighton
#3 CREIGHTON (11-2-0, 0-1- MVC) AT #23 BRADLEY (9-3-2, 1-1-0 MVC)
DATE: Wednesday, Oct. 18
TIME: 7 p.m. (CT)
LOCATION: Peoria, Ill. (Shea Stadium)
TICKETS: $6 Adults, $3 Youth (K-12), Free Bradley students, faculty/staff, active military and immediate families
THE GAME
The two teams that have combined for 10 of the 12 Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and postseason tournament championships since 2005 will meet Wednesday night when #5 Creighton visits #23 Bradley ... Bradley is the defending State Farm MVC Tournament champion, while Creighton is the defending MVC regular-season champion ... Bradley will be looking to equal its longest winning streak of the season (three games) ... Creighton is in search of its first Valley win of the season ... Both teams are trying to stay close to Missouri State, which has raced out to a 3-0-0 record in The Valley, including last week's 1-0 win against Creighton.
THE SERIES
Wednesday's game will be the 31st in the all-time series between Bradley and Creighton ... The Bluejays own a 22-7-1 lead in the all-time series, including a 10-5-0 edge in Peoria and a 5-2-0 record at Shea Stadium ... Bradley has enjoyed more success in the series of late, however, sweeping two games late in the 2010 season to improve to 4-5-1 against Creighton in the last 10 meetings ... Bradley is seeking its first-ever, 3-game winning streak against Creighton.
THE COACHES
BRADLEY: The 2007 Soccer America national Coach of the Year, Jim DeRose (Johnson State '89) is in his 16th year as a collegiate head coach, all at Bradley, and enters Wednesday's game with a 175-120-33 (.584) career record ... DeRose's 175 victories represent 77.4 percent of the total Bradley victories (226) in program history ... DeRose is 7-16-1 all-time against Creighton, including a 5-7-0 home record against the Braves.
CREIGHTON: Elmar Bolowich (Mainz '81) was the 2001 national coach of the year after leading North Carolina to the national championship ... The winningest coach in UNC history, Bolowich is in his first year as the head coach at Creighton ... Bolowich enters Wednesday's game with a 291-146-40 (.652) record in his 23rd year as a collegiate head coach, including a 1-0-1 record against Bradley ... Ironically, his first game against the Braves came in Omaha, where the Tar Heels earned a 3-1 victory Sept. 4, 1999 during Creighton's Diadora Challenge.
GAMEDAY LUNCHEON
Wednesday's game will be preceded by the annual Bradley Soccer Gameday Luncheon at Renaissance Coliseum … Head coaches Jim DeRose and Elmar Bolowich will be the featured speakers … For luncheon information, contact Bradley Athletics at (309) 677-2666.
