BRADLEY BRAVES (3-4-3, 2-2-1 MVC)
AT
EVANSVILLE PURPLE ACES (2-7-1, 0-4-0 MVC)
Date: Sunday, Oct. 13, 2019
Time: 2:00 p.m. CT
Location: Evansville, IN
Venue: McCutchan Stadium (natural grass)
Tickets: $7 adults, $5 seniors, $5 youth
TV: ESPN3
Live Stats: SidearmStats via GoPurpleAces.com
OPENING KICKS
- Bradley Soccer will play the middle game in a 3‐game road swing Sunday, when the Braves (3‐4‐3, 2‐2‐1 MVC) visit Missouri Valley Conference rival Evansville (2‐7‐1, 0‐4‐0 MVC).
- Sunday's game at Evansville will be Bradley's final Valley road game of 2019.
- The Braves will be looking to halt a 3‐game winless streak (0‐2‐1) against Evansville, its longest drought against the Purple Aces since a 4‐gamer (0‐3‐1) during the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
- Evansville's recent series success, however, has been experienced in Peoria and Bradley will be looking to nmatch its longest unbeaten road streak in the series – five games (5‐0‐0) from 1998 through 2006.
SERIES HISTORY
- Sunday's game will be the 30th in the all‐time series between Bradley and the Purple Aces, which dates to Evansville's entry into the Missouri Valley Conference for the 1994 season.
- Bradley owns a 16‐11‐2 lead in the all‐time series, including an 8‐4‐2 advantage at Evansville.
- Evansville is 2‐0‐1 against the Braves in the last three series meetings.
- Bradley is 3‐0‐1 in its last four trips to McCutchan Stadium, where it has not lost to the host Aces since a 2‐1 setback Nov. 7, 2009.
- In his 24th year as Bradley head coach, Jim DeRose sports a 16‐9‐2 all‐time record against Evansville, including an 8‐3‐2 road record against the Purple Aces.
ABANDONED GAMES SETS UP ROAD HEAVY START
- Bradley's scheduled Missouri Valley Conference home opener against Valparaiso Sept. 29 was abandoned in the 66th minute due to consistent lightning in the Peoria area.
- The game was replayed Oct. 1 at Valparaiso and the Crusaders now are scheduled to return to Peoria Oct. 27.
- The schedule changes means the Braves are opening the MVC season by playing five of their first six league games away from home.
- On the flip side, however, following Sunday's game at Evansville, Bradley will play all of its final four conference games at home.
NO REST
- The Oct. 1 trip to Valparaiso also came in what was scheduled to be week with no mid‐week games.
- The trip to Valparaiso officially extended Bradley's first road swing of the season to four consecutive games and set up an overall 8‐game stretch that put the Braves on the road seven times.
- Bradley had not played seven out of eight games away from home since 1990.
- The Braves now are playing a midweek game in five consecutive weeks.
- Bradley started a 3‐games‐in‐7‐days road swing Wednesday at #14 Missouri State: the Braves will head to Omaha for a Tuesday afternoon contest following Sunday's game at Evansville.
- Bradley will cover 2,098 miles, round trip, during this current 3‐game road swing.
