Box Score EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Bradley senior forward Alon Badat scored the golden goal in the 107th minute, lifting the visiting Braves (10-6-2, 3-2-1 MVC) to a 2-1, overtime victory at Evansville (10-7-1, 2-4-0) in the regular-season finale for both teams Saturday afternoon at McCutchan Stadium.
Though his bid for an eighth shutout was thwarted in the 88th minute when Mark Gonzalez netted the tying goal for Evansville, Bradley senior keeper Brian Billings made a career-high 11 saves and added to his Bradley career record with his ninth overtime victory.
Bradley grabbed the game's first lead when senior midfielder Aaron Birk took a pass from defender Johnny Contreras and slotted his shot past Evansville keeper Eric Teppen for his second goal of the season at 34:36.
Evansville turned up the pressure as the clock continued to wind down on regulation and Gonzalez finally broke through against Billings at 87:05 when he slid through a loose ball from three yards out for his ninth goal of the year.
Billings made a trio of saves in the extra time before the Braves found the golden goal midway through the second overtime. Freshman Christian Okeke played a long pass over the top of the Aces defense and Badat was able to sprint onto the ball and chip his shot over Teppen for his team-leading seventh goal of the year.
After closing out the regular season with a pair of road wins, Bradley will return home to host the 2013 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Championship at Shea Stadium, beginning with Wednesday's two first-round games. Though who is the fourth seed and who is the fifth will not be determined until after SIU Edwardsville plays Missouri State Saturday night, SIUE and Loyola will play in Wednesday's 3 p.m. opening game as the fourth and fifth seeds. The third-seeded Braves will face sixth-seeded Evansville in a rematch in Wednesday's 6 p.m. first-round game at Shea Stadium.
2013 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Championship
Hosted by Bradley University | Nov. 13, 15, 17 | Peoria, Ill. | Shea Stadium
Wednesday, Nov. 13 | First Round
3:00 p.m. SIUE vs. Loyola (Seeds TBD Saturday night by SIUE-Missouri State game)
6:00 p.m. (6) Evansville at (3) Bradley
Friday, Nov. 15 | Semifinals
3:00 p.m. Game 1 winner vs. (1) Missouri State
6:00 p.m. Game 2 winner vs. (2) Drake
Sunday, Nov. 17 | Championship Game
1:00 p.m. Final (MVC-TV)
Bradley Athletics Mission
Provide every student-athlete the opportunity for both a distinctive education and a championship experience
Accountability | Courage | Diligence | Integrity | Respect
