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2
Eastern Illinois EIU (0-1-0)
3
Winner Bradley BRAD (1-0-0)
Eastern Illinois EIU
(0-1-0)
2
Final
3
Bradley BRAD
(1-0-0)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Eastern Illinois EIU 0 2 2
Bradley BRAD 0 3 3
Malte Winkler vs Eastern Illinios

Bradley Soccer Wins on Night of Firsts

First career goals by Smidtslund, Winkler and Fishburne lead Braves to 3-2 win versus Eastern Illinois

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Game Recap: Soccer | | Bobby Parker, Associate AD for Communications
PEORIA, IL – It was only fitting that a night of firsts was highlighted by the first career goals from three Bradley Soccer players as the Braves (1-0) earned a 3-2 win against Eastern Illinois (0-1) in the long-awaited season opener for both teams Wednesday night inside the Slugger Dome at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex.
 
All three Bradley goals came in an 16-minute span of the second half from sophomore Rasmus Smidtslund (64'), redshirt sophomore Malte Winkler (66') and freshman Patrick Fishburne (80').  In addition to the first-time goal-scorers, redshirt freshman Jack Armitage and senior Saadiq Mohammed earned their first career Bradley points by assisting the first two goals, respectively, and Winkler added his first career assist by setting up Fishburne's game-winner.
 
Wednesday's game was Bradley's first regular-season contest in 446 days since the semifinals of the 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Championship.  With the traditional fall season pushed to the spring semester by the coronavirus pandemic, Wednesday's game also was the first-ever regular-season game played in February and the first-ever regular-season game played indoors.
 
Although Bradley dominated possession in the first half, outshooting the Panthers by a 9-5 count, the teams went into the intermission locked in a scoreless tie.  Things picked up midway through the second half on a Bradley corner kick.  Mohammed's header was pushed off the cross bar, Armitage followed with a header of his own off the cross bar and Smidtslund cleaned up the chance by heading home the loose ball for a 1-0 lead at 63:03.
 
Moments later, Winkler's pressure on the right flank created another scoring chance, feeding Mohammed with a low cross for a finish inside the 6-yard box for a 2-0 lead at 65:09.
 
The Panthers showed plenty of resolve, however, and pulled one back in the 70th minute on a perfectly placed 30-yard shot by Julian Smith.  The Winkler-Fishburne combo had the needed answer, however, with the freshman finishing from close range for a 3-1 lead at 79:43.
 
Eastern Illinois again closed the gap to one goal when Omar Shady deflected a cross with a header in traffic at 82:38, but the Braves controlled the final minutes to secure the season-opening win.
 
In addition to all of the night's firsts, the game served as the first career game as a head coach for former Bradley assistant Ronnie Bouemboue, one of four former Jim DeRose assistant coaches now leading NCAA Division I programs.  DeRose improved to 10-1-0 all-time against his former assistants.

 
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Players Mentioned

Jack Armitage

#16 Jack Armitage

D
6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
Prior Lake SC
Saadiq Mohammed

#4 Saadiq Mohammed

M
6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
Kenya U17 & Somalia Senior National Teams
Rasmus Smidtslund

#13 Rasmus Smidtslund

D
5' 11"
Sophomore
Laajasalon Pallo and Tikkurilan Palloseura
Malte Winkler

#20 Malte Winkler

D
5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore
FC Astoria Waldorf
Patrick Fishburne

#22 Patrick Fishburne

M/F
5' 10"
Freshman
Albion SC-San Diego

Players Mentioned

Jack Armitage

#16 Jack Armitage

6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
Prior Lake SC
D
Saadiq Mohammed

#4 Saadiq Mohammed

6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
Kenya U17 & Somalia Senior National Teams
M
Rasmus Smidtslund

#13 Rasmus Smidtslund

5' 11"
Sophomore
Laajasalon Pallo and Tikkurilan Palloseura
D
Malte Winkler

#20 Malte Winkler

5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore
FC Astoria Waldorf
D
Patrick Fishburne

#22 Patrick Fishburne

5' 10"
Freshman
Albion SC-San Diego
M/F