2011 Bradley Soccer Game Notes
Games 7 & 8 - Sept. 16 vs. Memphis and Sept. 18 vs. Loyola-Chicago
GAME 7 - MEMPHIS (4-0-1) AT #18 BRADLEY (4-0-2)
DATE: Friday, Sept. 16
TIME: 7 p.m. (CT)
LOCATION: Peoria, Ill. (Shea Stadium)
TICKETS: $6 adults; $3 youth (14 & under); Free BU students, faculty, staff and active military
THE GAME
For the sixth time in seven games to start the 2011 season, #18 Bradley will face an unbeaten team when the Braves host Memphis Friday night in the opening round of the Hotels at Grand Prairie Classic at Shea Stadium ... Bradley is unbeaten through six games for the third time in program history and will try to extend its longest unbeaten start since the 2002 squad started 11-0-4.
THE SERIES
Friday's game will be the fifth in the all-time series between Bradley and Memphis ... The Braves own a 2-0-2 advantage against the Tigers, but Bradley is still looking for its first home win against Memphis ... Bradley is 0-0-2 all-time at home against Memphis, plaing the Tigers to 1-1 draws Sept. 9. 1989 at Notre Dame High School and Sept. 4, 2009 at Shea Stadium in a game that was televised nationally on Fox Soccer Channel.
THE COACHES
BRADLEY: Jim DeRose (Johnson State '89) is in his 16th year as a collegiate head coach, all at Bradley, and enters Friday's game with a 170-117-33 (.583) career record ... DeRose's 170 victories represent 76.9 percent of the total Bradley victories (221) in program history ... DeRose is 1-0-1 in two previous games against Memphis.
MEMPHIS: Richie Grant (Green Mountain College '93) became the winningest coach in Memphis men's soccer history last weekend when the Tigers knocked off Wisconsin, 2-1 ... Now in his 17th year as a collegiate head coach, Grant is 111-95-18 (.536) in his 13th year as the head coach at Memphis.
GAME 8 - LOYOLA-CHICAGO (1-3-1) AT BRADLEY
DATE: Sunday, Sept. 18
TIME: 2:30 p.m. (CT)
LOCATION: Peoria, Ill. (Shea Stadium)
TICKETS: $6 adults; $3 youth (14 & under); Free BU students, faculty, staff and active military
THE GAME
Bradley will conclude its participation in the Hotel at Grand Prairie Classic by facing Loyola-Chicago Sunday afternoon ... Sunday's game will be the last home game for the Braves before heading on a four-match road trip ... Bradley will return to Shea Stadium on Oct. 10 to face UMKC.
THE SERIES
Sunday's meeting will be the 12th meeting between Bradley and Loyola-Chicago ... Bradley has had the upper hand against the Ramblers with an overall 8-3-0 record ...The last time these teams met was Oct. 11, 2008 at Loyola-Chicago, where the Ramblers earned a 3-0 win ... The Braves own a 4-1-0 record at home against Loyola-Chicago defeating the Ramblers 2-1 in OT Sept. 29, 2001 at McClallen Park.
THE COACHES
LOYOLA-CHICAGO: Brendan Eitz (Loyola '95) is in his seventh season as the head coach at Loyola-Chicago and enters Friday's game versus Evansville with a 50-50-19 career record ... Since becoming head coach, Eitz has captured two Horizon League Tournament titles, one regular-season league title, and two NCAA tournament berths ... Eitz is 1-0 in his only previous game against Bradley.
FAST STARTS
Bradley is undefeated through six games for just the third time in program history ... In each of the two previous seasons the Braves played their first six games without a loss, they went on to collect 14 wins for the season ... The 1998 Braves won the first Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship in program history, while the 2002 Braves earned a first-round home game as an at-large entry in the NCAA Tournament.
STATEMENT START
Although early in the season, five of Bradley's first six opponents also were unbeaten at the time of their respective games against the Braves and those same six opponents have combined for a 15-7-3 (.660) record through Sunday in their non-Bradley games ... Though the win against Butler came in the season opener, the 4-1 victory by the Braves at the Butler Bowl remains Butler's only loss in 24 regular-season games (20-1-3) dating back to Oct. 31, 2009 ... Similarly, prior to Bradley's 2-1 overtime win against #8 South Florida, the Bulls were 21-1-4 in their last 26 regular-season games against non-Big East Conference schools dating back to a 1-0 loss at Duke Sept. 3, 2006.
IN THE RANKINGS
Bradley started the preseason only receiving national ranking recognition from TopDrawerSoccer.com, which listed the Braves #37 in its preseason Tournament 48 National Rankings ... Thanks to its hot start, three weeks into the season, Bradley has cracked all six college soccer national rankings, climbing to as high as #18 in the NSCAA National Rankings and the TopDrawerSoccer.com Tournament 48 National Rankings.
WEEKLY AWARDS FOR GRAF
Junior forward Jochen Graf has been highly-decorated this week after scoring the quickest "golden goal" in Bradley Soccer history last week ... Graf scored the game-winner Friday night versus #8 South Florida 35 seconds into overtime ... In honor of the goal, Graf was named to the Dartmouth Classic All-Tournament Team, was selected the Missouri Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week and was named to the Soccer America Team of the Week.
DEFENSIVE SECOND HALVES
By converting an 85th minute penalty kick Sunday, South Carolina became the first team to score a second-half goal against Bradley this season ... The Braves have allowed only six shots on goal after halftime this year.
