Braves Host Incarnate Word in Original Home Opener

After scrambling to replace games lost due to Hurricane Harvey, Bradley Soccer will host its original home-opening opponent Friday night at Shea Stadium

Jha'Lon Johnson in action versus Gonzaga Aug. 27, 2017

Jha'Lon Johnson scored his first career goal Wednesday night

Bobby Parker, Associate AD for Communications Soccer 9/7/2017 12:24:00 PM

PEORIA, IL - Originally scheduled as the 2017 home opener, Bradley Soccer will host Incarnate Word in what now has become the third home game of the young season Friday night when the Cardinals visit Shea Stadium for the first-ever men's soccer meeting between the two programs. The Braves (2-2-0) are coming off a 3-0 victory versus Aurora Wednesday night in a game that was quickly scheduled to replace one of the games cancelled in Houston during the opening weekend due to Hurricane Harvey.

GAME DETAILS
Incarnate Word Cardinals (2-1-1) at Bradley Braves (2-2-0)
Date: Friday, Sept. 8, 2017
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Where: Peoria, IL (Shea Stadium)
TV/Radio: The Valley on ESPN3
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: $6 adults, $3 youth (14U) and FREE for Bradley University students, faculty and staff, as well as Little Braves Club members and active military

HOME OPENER BECOMES THIRD HOME GAME
Originally scheduled as the regular-season home opener, Friday's game against Incarnate Word has become the third game on Bradley's 2017 home schedule due to some make shift scheduling resulting from Hurricane Harvey ... The Braves were scheduled to open the season Aug. 25-27 at Houston Baptist's HBU Invitational, but the tournament was cancelled based on the destructive forecast of then Tropical Storm Harvey ... Bradley replaced its two HBU Invitational games by hosting fellow tourney participant Gonzaga for an Aug. 27 home game and NCAA Division III Aurora University Wednesday night at Shea Stadium.

AGAINST THE CARDINALS
Friday's game against Incarnate Word will be Bradley's first-ever men's soccer game against the Cardinals ... The game was scheduled to be Bradley's third against a Western Athletic Conference opponent within the season's first five games, but the matchups against WAC members UT-Rio Grande Valley and Houston Baptist were washed out by Hurricane Harvey ... The Braves are 11-10-1 all-time against the current WAC membership, which has been dominated by the 10 games in the all-time series against Kansas City, and Bradley is 8-3-0 all-time in home games against the WAC.

BUSY 12 DAYS
Bradley Soccer is two games into a busy 12-day stretch that will see the Braves play nearly one-third of its entire regular-season schedule in less than two weeks ... Starting with its Labor Day weekend split of games at the ProRehab Aces Soccer Classic, Bradley is playing six games in the 12 days from Sept. 2-13, including an exceptionally heavy stretch of five games in just nine days.

NEXT UP
Following Friday's game versus Incarnate Word, Bradley will have little time to prepare for its next opponent, and a nationally-ranked opponent at that ... The Braves will visit #17 Omaha Sunday for a 6 p.m. non-conference clash at Caniglia Field ... The Mavericks, who host UC Riverside Friday night, are off to a 4-0 start that has included a 5-1 romp at home against then-No. 17 Virginia Tech Aug. 27 ... Omaha has won its last three games against Bradley to take a 3-1-0 lead in the all-time series, which began in 2012.

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