MVC Men's Soccer Championship Semifinal Preview

The 2017 MVC Men's Soccer Championship continues with semifinal action Friday night at Shea Stadium

Bobby Parker, Associate AD for Communications Soccer 11/9/2017 11:51:00 AM

PEORIA, IL - For the eighth time overall and the seventh time in the last 13 years, Bradley Soccer is hosting the Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Championship as all of the league's seven teams have converged on Shea Stadium this week to determine The Valley's automatic entry into the NCAA Tournament. Postseason play began Tuesday with Drake's 4-2 win against Valparaiso and the host Braves advanced to Friday's second semifinal with a 3-1 victory Wednesday night against the seventh-seeded Bulldogs.

TOURNAMENT DETAILS
2017 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Championship
Hosted by Bradley University at Shea Stadium
First Round: Tuesday, Nov. 7 | 12 p.m. | (7) Drake vs. (6) Valparaiso | Drake, 4-2
Quarterfinal 1: Wednesday, Nov. 8 | 3 p.m. | (5) Evansville vs. (4) Loyola Chicago | Evansville, 1-0
Quarterfinal 2: Wednesday, Nov. 8 | 6 p.m. | (7) Drake at (3) BRADLEY | BRADLEY, 3-1
Semifinal 1: Friday, Nov. 10 | 3 p.m. | (5) Evansville vs. (1) Missouri State
Semifinal 2: Friday, Nov. 10 | 6 p.m. | (2) Central Arkansas at (3) BRADLEY
Championship: Sunday, Nov. 12 | 1 p.m.
Where: Peoria, IL (Shea Stadium)
TV: All six games on The Valley on ESPN3 | Watch Live
Live Stats: BradleyBraves.com | Follow Live
Tickets: $6 adults and $3 youth (14U) daily

VALLEY TOURNAMENT RETURNS TO PEORIA
• For the eighth time in the last 19 years, the Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Championship is being contested in Peoria as the league's seven men's soccer members have convened at Shea Stadium to determine The Valley's automatic participant in the NCAA Tourney.
• Postseason play began with Tuesday's noon opening-round game and third-seeded Bradley entered into the fray during Wednesday's second quarterfinal game, a 3-1 victory against Tuesday's opening-round victor, No. 7 Drake.
• Bradley first hosted the MVC Tournament semifinals and championship in 1999 at Becker Park and the Braves have hosted every round in the tournament in six other years at Shea Stadium: 2005, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
• With 35 MVC Tournament games played on its world-class pitch since the venue was converted into a soccer-specific stadium in 2003, Shea Stadium has hosted more than twice as many MVC Men's Soccer Championship games as any other venue.
• Including four games at Becker Park in 1999 and 2000 and one game at Morton's McClallen Park in 2001, Bradley has hosted a total of 40 MVC Tournament games, the most of any participant.

NATION'S MOST-IMPROVED TEAM
• Heading into Friday's semifinal action, Bradley is the most-improved team in the nation, according to the formula tracked by the NCAA.
• After suffering through a 2-15-3 (.175) season in 2016, Bradley enters the MVC Men's Soccer Championship semifinals with an 11-7-2 (.600) mark this season.
• The jump represents a +8.5 improvement in W-L record, a full game better than Michigan, which ranks second nationally.

MVC TOURNEY HISTORY
• Bradley is making its 21st appearance all-time in the Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Championship.
• Among the league's seven current members, Bradley's 20 MVC Tournament wins and three postseason Valley championships are the most.
• The Braves are 20-15-6 (.561) all-time in the MVC Tournament, winning championships in 2007 at Creighton's Morrison Stadium and in 2010 and 2013 at Shea Stadium.
• Since making Shea Stadium its home venue in 2003, Bradley is 10-4-2 (.688) in MVC postseason games on its home turf.

REGULAR-SEASON SPLIT
• Facing off twice in The Valley's unbalanced league schedule, Bradley and Central Arkansas split their two games during the regular season.
• Each team defended its home turf by posting shutouts: UCA winning 2-0 Oct. 14 in Conway and Bradley answering with a 3-0 win Oct. 28 at Shea Stadium.
• Friday's semifinal game will be the 15th meeting in the all-time series, which Bradley leads by an 8-4-2 margin.
• The Braves are 6-2-1 all-time at home against Central Arkansas.
• In their only previous MVC Tournament meeting, however, UCA earned a 1-0 victory Nov. 7, 2012 at Shea Stadium.

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