2018 Schedule Revealed

Printable Schedule

Bobby Parker, Associate AD for Communications Soccer 6/13/2018 1:48:00 PM

PEORIA, IL – Bradley Soccer's 2018 schedule will include two preseason games, 18 regular-season contests and 10 home games at Shea Stadium featuring teams from coast-to-coast and a Big 10 Conference visitor, according to Wednesday's reveal of the complete schedule for the program's 32nd NCAA Division I season.

Among the schedule highlights: the Braves will play 10 of their 18 regular-season games at Shea Stadium; Bradley will host three 2017 NCAA Tournament teams, including Big Ten Tournament champion Wisconsin; veteran head coach Jim DeRose will face former assistant Brian Barnett for the first time; the Danny Dahlquist Memorial Game will be played as a regular-season game when the Braves host Ivy League member Princeton Sept. 2; and the annual Bradley University Homecoming game will be Sept. 29 against Loyola Chicago, once again featuring a postgame fireworks display.

Check out our 2018 schedule: 20 games featuring teams from coast-to-coast, 10th Danny Dahlquist Game moves to regular season, B1G champs come to Peoria, 2 games vs former assistant coaches, @bradleyu Homecoming fireworks and much more.

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— Bradley Soccer (@BradleySoccer) June 13, 2018

As DeRose prepares for his 23rd season at the helm of the Bradley Soccer program, the Braves return 22 players from their 2017 squad that produced the nation's best turnaround, an 11-7-3 campaign that included a third-place (4-3-1) finish in the Missouri Valley Conference standings and semifinals appearance in the MVC Men's Soccer Championship.

2018 Bradley Soccer Season Tickets | Available at Bradley Athletics Ticket Office
Adults: $40
Children (Ages 14 and under): $20 or FREE with Little Braves Club membership
Little Braves Club members: FREE | Click HERE for Little Braves Club information

2018 Bradley Soccer Single-Game Tickets
Adults: $6
Children (ages 14 and under): $3 or FREE with Little Braves Club membership
Little Braves Club members: FREE
Bradley University Students (with valid ID): FREE
Bradley University Faculty/Staff (with valid ID): FREE
Active Military and Immediate Family (with valid ID): FREE
Parking: $3

2018 Bradley Soccer Schedule (Game-by-Game Notes)
Thursday, Aug. 16 at Memphis | 11:00 a.m. | Memphis, TN (Bill J. Murphy Track & Soccer Complex)
The Braves will kick off the 2018 preseason with an exhibition game against the American Athletic Conference squad. Bradley owns a 2-1-2 record in regular-season games against Memphis, including a 2-0-0 road record against the Tigers.

Saturday, Aug. 18 at Belmont | 12:00 p.m. | Nashville, TN (E.S. Rose Park)
The Braves will complete their 2-games-in-3-days preseason schedule with an exhibition game against the Southern Conference newcomers. Bradley owns a 4-1-0 record in regular-season games against Belmont in a series that began as Missouri Valley Conference rivals for one season in 2000.

Friday, Aug. 24 vs. GONZAGA | 7:00 p.m. | Peoria, IL (Shea Stadium)
Bradley will open its 2018 home schedule by hosting West Conference Conference member Gonzaga. The Bulldogs will be visiting Shea Stadium for the third time as the teams meet for the fourth consecutive year.

Sunday, Aug. 26 vs. ORAL ROBERTS | 1:00 p.m. | Peoria, IL (Shea Stadium)
Bradley will wrap up its home-opening weekend by facing a familiar non-conference opponent from the Summit League. The Braves are 6-1-2 all-time against Oral Roberts and will be looking to extend an 8-game (6-0-2) unbeaten streak against the Golden Eagles.

Friday, Aug. 31 at IUPUI | 4:00 p.m. CT | Indianapolis, IN (Michael A. Carroll Stadium)
The non-conference game against the Jaguars will be the first-ever matchup between DeRose and his former assistant coach Brian Barnett. A Peoria native, Barnett served on the Bradley staff for seven seasons (2009-15) before taking over the IUPUI program in 2016. Bradley is 3-0-0 all-time against the Jaguars, earning a 1-0 victory Sept. 29, 1999 in its only previous trip to Indianapolis.

Sunday, Sept. 2 vs. PRINCETON | 1:00 p.m. | Peoria, IL (Shea Stadium)
Danny Dahlquist Memorial Game
For the first time in the event's 10-year history, the Danny Dahlquist Memorial Game will be played as a regular-season contest when the Braves host Princeton. The Danny Dahlquist Memorial Game is a tribute to the former Bradley Soccer player, who died shortly before the opening of the 2007 season. Previous opponents in the event have included Notre Dame (2009, 2014, 2016), Louisville (2010), Michigan State (2011), Kentucky (2012), Northwestern (2013, 2017) and Creighton (2015). Bradley will be facing Princeton for the first time in program history and the Tigers will become just the second IVY League team to visit Bradley, following Dartmouth visits to Morton's McClallen Park in 2002 and Shea Stadium in 2010.

Friday, Sept. 7 vs. EASTERN ILLINOIS | 7:00  p.m. | Peoria, IL (Shea Stadium)
The Braves are hosting a 5-team event during the season's third week and the game against the Panthers will follow a preliminary contest between Mercer and Missouri State, which will kick off at 4:30 at Shea Stadium.  The series against former Valley rival Eastern Illinois dates back to Bradley's second season in 1988 and the Braves own a 17-8-2 record against the Panthers.

Sunday, Sept. 9 vs. WISCONSIN | 6:00 p.m. | Peoria, IL (Shea Stadium)
Following a preliminary game between Mercer and Eastern Illinois at 11 a.m., Bradley will host the defending Big Ten Conference Tournament champion in the final game of the weekend's 5-team event.  The teams first met during Bradley's inaugural NCAA Division I season in 1987, but have not faced off since the Badgers improved to 4-0-0 in the series with a 4-0 victory Sept. 27, 1992 in Madison.   Wisconsin becomes the third Big Ten Conference team to visit Shea Stadium and follows Northwestern in 2012 as the second defending Big Ten champion to visit Peoria. Under head coach Jim DeRose, the Braves are 8-6-1 against the current Big Ten membership.

Mercer Bears
The fifth team in the multi-team event at Shea Stadium, Mercer is coached by former Bradley assistant Brad Ruzzo, who helped the Braves to their first NCAA Tournament appearances during his eight seasons (2000-07) at Bradley. The Mercer roster features redshirt sophomore goalkeeper J.R. DeRose, at Peoria Notre Dame H.S. graduate who is the son of Bradley head coach Jim DeRose. Mercer has won each of the last two Southern Conference Tournament titles.

Friday, Sept. 14 at Fort Wayne | 6:00 p.m. CT | Fort Wayne, IN (Hefner Soccer Complex)
The teams are meeting for a third consecutive season, following a 4-3 overtime win by Fort Wayne in 2016 at Evansville's tournament and a 3-0 Bradley victory last season at Shea Stadium.   Bradley is 4-1-0 all time against the Mastodons, including a 1-0 victory Aug. 28, 2011 in its only previous road game in the series.

Sunday, Sept. 16 at Appalachian State | 4:00 p.m. CT | Boone, NC (Appalachian Soccer Stadium)
The first-ever meeting in the series will come just two days after the Braves visit Fort Wayne and the visit to Appalachian State will be Bradley's first-ever road game against a Sun Belt Conference opponent.

Saturday, Sept. 22 at Central Arkansas | 7:00 p.m. | Conway, AR (Stephens Track/Soccer Complex)
The Braves will open the Missouri Valley Conference schedule by visiting the defending MVC Tournament champion.  Bradley owns an 8-4-3 record all time against the Bears, including 2-2-1 at UCA.

Saturday, Sept. 29 vs. LOYOLA CHICAGO | 7:00 p.m. | Peoria, IL (Shea Stadium)
Bradley University Homecoming
The Braves will host their in-state Valley rival in the annual Bradley University Homecoming game.  Bradley owns a 14-6-0 all-time record against the Ramblers, including a 9-1-0 home record in the series.

Tuesday, Oct. 2 at Cincinnati | 6:00 p.m. CT | Cincinnati, OH (Gettler Stadium)
The teams played four times between 2003-07, but only once, a 1-1 draw in Evansville's tournament in 2012, since Bradley's 1-0 victory Sept. 16, 2007 at Shea Stadium.

Saturday, Oct. 6 at Missouri State | 7:00 p.m. | Springfield, MO (Allison South Stadium)
For the fifth time in six games, Bradley will be on the road when the Braves visit Missouri State in Missouri Valley Conference action.

Saturday, Oct. 13 vs. VAPLARAISO | 7:00 p.m. | Peoria, IL (Shea Stadium)
The Valley's newest member will make its first-ever visit to Shea Stadium. The Braves are 8-5-0 all-time against Valparaiso in a series that dates to 1989, including a 4-1-0 home record against the Crusaders.

Tuesday, Oct. 16 vs. OMAHA | 7:00 p.m. | Peoria, IL (Shea Stadium)
Although a relatively young rivalry, the Braves and Mavericks have become consistent non-conference opponents since the series kicked off in 2012. The rivalry takes on a new element in 2018 as former Creighton head coach Bob Warming has taken over as head coach for the defending Summit League Tournament champions.

Saturday, Oct. 20 at Drake | 7:00 p.m. | Des Moines, IA (Cownie Soccer Complex)
Bradley will face Missouri Valley Conference competition for the third time in four games when the Braves visit Drake. With a series that dates back to Bradley's inaugural NCAA Division I season in 1987, Drake is the most common opponent in program history as this year's game will be the 44th meeting between the Braves and Bulldogs.

Tuesday, Oct. 23 at Oakland | 6:00 p.m. CT | Rochester, MI (Oakland Soccer Field)
Following the weekend game against its most-common opponent, Bradley's final road game will be played against a first-time opponent. The Grizzlies were 6-10-1 overall last year and finished eighth in the Horizon League in 2017.

Saturday, Oct. 27 vs. WESTERN ILLINOIS | 2:00 p.m. | Peoria, IL (Shea Stadium)
The Braves will face their local rival in the non-conference finale, kicking off a 2-game home stand to close out the regular season. Bradley is 16-10-2 all-time in the series, which dates to Bradley's inaugural NCAA Division I season in 1987. The teams played to a scoreless draw last season in Macomb.

Saturday, Nov. 3 vs. EVANSVILLE | 7:00 p.m. | Peoria, IL (Shea Stadium)
Senior Night
Bradley will close out the regular season by hosting Missouri Valley Conference rival Evansville for its annual Senior Night game. The Braves are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games against Evansville and 7-3-0 in the 10 previous meetings at Shea Stadium. The game against the Purple Aces will be the final regular-season home game for six Bradley seniors.

Nov. 7, 9, 11 | MVC Men's Soccer Championship | Evansville, IN (Arad McCutchan Stadium)
Hosted by the University of Evansville, the 2018 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Championship will return to a 6-team format, starting with quarterfinal games for seeds 3-6 Wednesday, Nov. 7. Bradley's three MVC Tournament titles, all since 2007, are the most among the league's current 7-team membership.

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