PEORIA, Ill. – Conference realignment forced Bradley soccer head coach Jim DeRose into scramble mode with his 2013 schedule, but the Braves once again will face a tough slate as they chase a third NCAA Tournament appearance in four years.
DeRose has assembled an 18-game regular-season schedule that will includes 12 non-conference opponents from coast-to-coast that combined for a 110-101-30 (.519) record in 2012 and five teams that competed in the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
“With nearly half of our non-conference schedule being played against 2012 NCAA Tournament teams and the rigors of the MVC, obviously this schedule will test us at the highest level,” said DeRose, who is preparing for his 18th season at Bradley. “While conference realignment caused some very real challenges - losing a home match versus Creighton and a home-and-home series with Xavier, who are among the top teams in the country – this schedule puts us in the national spotlight on a weekly basis.
“The real fallout from realignment was that to maintain a nationally-ranked schedule that our program has become accustomed to playing, we will be on the road a great deal,” added DeRose. “But with an older team that has had success in the past, I believe they will embrace the challenge.”
In addition to losing its annual league game with former Missouri Valley Conference rival Creighton when the Bluejays bolted to the new Big East, Bradley also lost an early October game against another Big East newcomer, Xavier, due to the lastest conference shuffle. The Braves lost another non-conference game when early-season opponent Loyola University Chicago joined The Valley and was moved into Creighton's slot in the league schedule.
After playing an exhibition game Aug. 24 at UMKC, Bradley officially will open its 27th soccer season by hosting New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Evansville in its annual home tournament Aug. 30 and Sept. 1 at Shea Stadium. New Hampshire, which fell in penalty kicks in the America East Conference Tournament final last season, will take on the Braves in the home opener Aug. 30 and Massachusetts will be Bradley's Sept. 1 tourney opponent. Bradley will criss-cross the country in its next five games, beginning with a trip to Las Vegas, where the Braves will take on the host Rebels Sept. 6 and UC Riverside Sept. 8 in UNLV's tournament.
Then comes a 6-game stretch that could be as tough as any in the country: six consecutive games against teams that combined for a 73-41-17 (.622) record last season, six 2012 regular-season or tournament conference championships and nine NCAA Tournament games in 2012.
Four of the six games will be played on the road, beginning with a Sept. 14 visit to Connecticut, which tied for first in the Big East Conference Blue Division last year and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament to culminate a 17-4-1 season. The Braves again will head west for a Sept. 20 game at Denver and a Sept. 22 contest at Air Force, which won the 2012 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation postseason tournament.
Big West Conference South Division and BWC tournament champion Cal State Northridge will visit Shea Stadium Sept. 28 and the Braves will make the short trip to Evanston Oct. 2 for a clash against Big Ten regular-season co-champion Northwestern, which advanced to the third round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Bradley will close out the 6-game grind Oct. 7 by hosting local rival Western Illinois, which won the 2012 Summit League Tournament title.
Bradley will open Missouri Valley Conference play on the road Oct. 12 at Central Arkansas, then will kick off a season-long, 3-game home stand Oct. 15 versus Belmont. Loyola will visit Shea Stadium Oct. 19 in the annual Homecoming game and Bradley will wrap up the home stand Oct. 23 against SIU Edwardsville. Following a trip to Drake Oct. 26, the Braves will host Missouri State Nov. 2 in the regular-season home finale. The Braves will finish the regular season on the road Nov. 5 at Eastern Illinois and Nov. 9 at Evansville.
For the third time in four years, Bradley will host the Missouri Valley Conference Championship, which will be contested Nov. 13, 15 and 17 at Shea Stadium.
Bradley returns 18 lettermen from its 2012 squad that finished 10-6-4 overall, including a 3-1 victory against eventual Big Ten Conference co-champion Northwestern.
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