MORTON, Ill. - Senior forward Bryan Gaul will begin the season as Bradley's active career scoring leader and he showed how he earned that title Sunday night by scoring two goals and adding an assist, helping the White squad to a 2-1 victory in the annual Bradley Soccer Red-White Scrimmage Sunday night at Rotary Field at McClallen Park.
Newcomer Cecil Jeffrey, a transfer from Wheaton (Mass.) College, teamed with Gaul on all three tallies Sunday night, chipping in a goal and two assists. Freshman Desmond Campbell also provided a helper on Gaul's game-winning goal in the 71st minute.
"Bryan Gaul has been dominant since last fall and again this spring," said Bradley head coach Jim DeRose, "and he just showed it again tonight.
"As impressive as Bryan and Cecil were, though, we played 26 players tonight," DeRose added. "We have a deep team and I think we can use that to our advantage. Desmond and Cecil showed we have some new guys who can step in."
Playing three 30-minute periods, the opening frame was a defensive standoff that featured only three shots on goal. Teaming for the Red team, Gaul and Jeffrey hooked up to open the game's scoring in the 42nd minute. Jeffrey intercepted a poor clearance by the White team on the left flank. He quickly fed Gaul for a breakaway and the preseason All-American deftly flicked a shot over charging keeper Brian Billings into the empty net.
In a game that saw players swap uniforms throughout the game, Gaul and Jeffrey combined for the White team's equalizer early in the third period. Taking advantage of a counter attack, Gaul sprung Jeffrey down the right flank and the creative forward slipped his shot past Billings into the left side of the goal in the 66th minute.
Although not credited with a point, sophomore forward Ross Williams set up the winner just five minutes later when he maintained possession just beyond midfield against several challenges from the Red defense while his White teammates got into position. Williams eventually played the ball out wide right to Campbell, who played it ahead to Jeffrey. Working back toward the middle, Jeffrey played back across the midfield to Gaul at the top of the box, and the All-American candidate cooly left-footed a swerving shot past Billings and inside the left post for the winner in the 71st minute.
Although he surrendered three goals to the Gaul-Jeffrey combination, Billings made several acrobatic stops among his six saves. Senior Kyle Orne made five saves in a shutout performance.
The other highlight Sunday night was the return of a trio of injured players. Veteran defenders Obi Ekwueme, Tommy Fritze and Tapiwa Machingauta all logged substantial minutes in their return from a variety of offseason surgeries.
The Braves will face outside competition for the first time Thursday when they visit Dayton in a noon exhibition. Bradley will open the 2011 season with a two-game road swing to Indiana, where they will face defending Horizon League champion Butler Aug. 26 and IPFW Aug. 28. The regular-season home opener will by Sept. 1 when the Braves host former Missouri Valley Conference rival Eastern Illinois in a 7 p.m. game at Shea Stadium.
