Exhibition with Familiar Faces

Bradley Soccer will see a pair of familiar faces in Saturday's preseason finale versus Mercer

Nathan Wisbey set piece vs Creighton Aug. 17, 2019

Bradley Soccer Prospectus 2019

Bobby Parker, Associate AD for Communications Soccer 8/23/2019 8:32:00 AM

GAME DAY DETAILS
Bradley (8-5-4 in 2018) vs. Mercer (12-4-2 in 2018)
Date: Saturday, Aug. 24
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Location: Thompsons Station, TN | Independence High School (1776 Declaration Way)
Tickets: FREE admission

QUICK SUMMARY
• Bradley Soccer will play its second and final exhibition match of the preseason Saturday when the Braves face defending Southern Conference regular-season champion Mercer at a neutral setting in Tennessee.
• The Braves are coming off a 1-1 draw against defending Big East Conference champion Creighton last Saturday at Shea Stadium.

FAMILIAR FACES
• The Braves will see a pair of familiar faces Saturday when they take the field against Mercer.
• Brad Ruzzo is beginning his 12th year as the Bears head coach after serving the previous eight years as Bradley associate head coach.
• During Ruzzo's eight years at Bradley from 2000-07, the Braves won three Missouri Valley Conference regular-season titles, the 2007 MVC Tournament title and played in four NCAA Tournaments, culminating with the run to the Elite Eight in 2007.
• Mercer's top goalkeeper is redshirt junior J.R. DeRose, the son of Bradley head coach Jim DeRose.

SERIES HISTORY
• Bradley owns a 2-0-0 lead in the official series history against Mercer with both previous meetings featuring the head coach matchup of Jim DeRose against his former assistant Brad Ruzzo.
• The Braves earned a 3-0 win Sept. 6, 2009 at Shea Stadium and a 2-1 victory in a tournament matchup at Evansville Sept. 21, 2014.
• Although the teams did not face each other either year, Mercer also participated in Bradley's home tournament in both 2012 and 2018.

NON-CONFERENCE UNBEATEN STREAK
• Bradley was 7-0-4 in its 11 games outside the Missouri Valley Conference last season.
• In fact, the Braves are unbeaten (8-0-6) in their last 14 non-conference games dating to a 2-1 defeat to UIC Oct. 17, 2017.
• The 14-game non-conference unbeaten streak is the second-longest in program history, trailing only the record 18-game (15-0-3) run from Sept. 7, 1997 to Nov. 13, 1998.
• Bradley completed the second unbeaten non-conference regular-season in program history (1998, 8-0-2) in 2018.

SCORING DUO
• Among Bradley's 14 returning lettermen are the team's top scorer from each of the past two seasons.
• Senior forward Roman Schindler led the 2017 Braves with seven goals and 19 points.
• Junior forward Gerit Wintermeyer, who was named preaseaon All-MVC Thursday, led the 2018 Braves with eight goals and 20 points.
• Both preparing for their third season at Bradley, the Schindler/Wintermeyer combination has totaled 60 points on 24 goals and 12 assists during their first two years with the Braves.

LOOKING AHEAD
• Following Saturday's exhibition finale, the Braves officially will open their 2019 season by hosting a 4-game home stand at Shea Stadium, beginning Aug. 30 (7 p.m.) versus Belmont.
• The home stand will continue with the annual Danny Dahlquist Memorial Game Sept. 6 against IUPUI, which features former Bradley assistant coaches Brian Barnett (Jags head coach) and Ronnie Bouemboue (assistant coach).
• The Braves also will host Oakland Sept. 8 and Eastern Illinois Sept. 13 at Shea Stadium.

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