PEORIA, IL - Four noteworthy events, including the team's first themed night and the celebration of the first 30 years of the program's NCAA Division I history, highlight Bradley Soccer's 2017 schedule, a minimum 21-game slate revealed Tuesday.
The Braves will kick off the season by hosting Big Ten Conference member Northwestern in the ninth annual Danny Dahlquist Memorial Game Tuesday, Aug. 15 at Shea Stadium. The signature kickoff event for Bradley Soccer has drawn some of the nation's premier teams for the exhibition game benefitting the Danny Dahlquist Memorial Fund. A Bradley home record 3,099 fans attended the 2014 Danny Dahlquist Memorial Game, billed the "Battle of Champions," when the defending Missouri Valley Conference champion Braves battled defending national champion Notre Dame to a 2-2 draw. Although Northwestern will be make its second appearance in the special event, the Wildcats will be participating for the first time since the game was moved from the spring to the fall in 2014. Previous opponents in the Danny Dahlquist Memorial Game have included Notre Dame (2009, 2014 and 2016), Louisville (2010), Michigan State (2011), Kentucky (2012), Northwestern (2013) and Creighton (2015).
In a special tribute to Dahlquist, this year's Danny Dahlquist Memorial Game against Northwestern will feature a Harry Potter theme with proceeds to benefit the Danny Dahlquist Memorial Fund at Bradley University.
After beginning regular-season play by participating in tournaments at Houston Baptist Aug. 25-27 and Evansville Sept. 1-3, Bradley will play its regular-season home opener Friday, Sept. 8 by hosting first-time opponent Incarnate Word in a 7 p.m. match at Shea Stadium. Following matches against Texas-Rio Grande Valley and host Houston Baptist during the opening weekend, Incarnate Word will be Bradley's third Western Athletic Conference opponent of the young season.
The Braves will return to the road Sunday, Sept. 10 to face defending Summit League regular-season co-champion Omaha before the schedule takes on a home-heavy flavor. Six of Bradley's next nine games will be played at Shea Stadium, beginning with the Missouri Valley Conference opener Wednesday, Sept. 13 versus defending league regular-season champion Loyola Chicago. The short home stand will continue Saturday, Sept. 16, when the Braves host Fort Wayne in the school's annual Homecoming Game, which will be followed by a fireworks show.
Following road games Sept. 19 at DePaul and Set. 26 at Evansville, Bradley will return home Saturday, Sept. 30 to host Valley rival Drake in the inaugural Bradley Soccer Alumni Day. The Soccer program is inviting all of its former players back to campus Sept. 30 to celebrate the first 30 years of the program's NCAA Division I history. With 41 games played in the series, the Alumni Day opponent, Drake, is the most-common opponent in Bradley Soccer history and an opponent during Bradley's inaugural NCAA Division I season in 1988. The game against the Bulldogs will kick off a 3-game home stand, which will continue Saturday, Oct. 7 versus Missouri State and Tuesday, Oct. 10 against in-state rival Eastern Illinois.
The Braves will close the regular season by playing four of their last six games away from home. In between trips to Central Arkansas (Oct. 14) and Loyola Chicago (Oct. 21), Bradley will host another in-state rival, Illinois-Chicago, Tuesday, Oct. 17 at Shea Stadium. The Flames played in the 2016 NCAA Tournament after winning the Horizon League championship. The Braves will play their regular-season home finale Saturday, Oct. 28 by hosting Central Arkansas in the return game in their league-assigned, home-and-home pairing.
Bradley's final two regular-season games will be played on the road - Tuesday, Oct. 31 at local rival Western Illinois and Saturday, Nov. 4 at Valley newcomer Valparaiso.
The 2017 MVC Men's Soccer Championship will be played in Peoria for the eighth time since 1999 and will kick off with the first-round match between the sixth and seventh seeds Tuesday, Nov. 7 at Shea Stadium. Quarterfinal action will be played Wednesday, Nov. 8, followed by the semifinals Friday, Nov. 10 and the championship game Sunday, Nov. 12. Bradley has previously hosted the MVC Men's Soccer Championship in 1999, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014 and the Braves advanced to the title game in five of those years, winning the title in 2010 and 2013.
