Bradley University Athletics

Soccer Draws Marquette, 1-1

Danny Dahlquist Memorial Game Draws Crowd of Nearly 1,000 to Peoria Notre Dame HIgh School

Jill Catus

Postgame Comments from Jim DeRose

Bobby Parker, Associate AD for Communications Soccer 8/17/2021 9:54:00 PM

PEORIA, IL - Playing on the program's original home field and honoring its fallen former student-athlete, Bradley Soccer played 2021 spring NCAA Tournament participant Marquette to a 1-1 draw in front of nearly 1,000 fans on a beautiful summer night Tuesday at Peoria Notre Dame High School.

In an evenly played match that saw the host Braves control the first half and then defend Marquette's pressure in the second half, Bradley (0-0-2 preseason) struck first when sophomore midfielder Rasums Smidtslund earned the team's first goal of the preseason in the 34th minute. The scoring play began from a Bradley free kick on the left flank. With the service bounding around the penalty area, Smidtslund ended up on the ground as he finished from the right post for the 1-0 Bradley lead.

It appeared Bradley would carry the advantage into halftime, until Marquette (1-0-1 preseason) drew a penalty kick with a run into the right side of the box in the 45th minute. Freshman keeper Lucas Fontana, a Peoria Notre Dame graduate, made the initial save with a dive to his left, but the rebound came right back to the shooter, Lukas Sunesson, who nodded the ball back into the upper left corner for the equalizer.

Both teams produced chances in the final 45 minutes, but each defended their own penalty area well to produce a scoreless second half.

Already with draws at Big Ten member Northwestern (0-0) last Friday night and Tuesday against Marquette, the Braves will play a third challenging exhibition in eight days Friday when they visit former Missouri Valley Conference rival Creighton for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Morrison Stadium in Omaha. Bradley officially will open the 2021 season by hosting Omaha Aug. 26 in a 7 p.m. match at Shea Stadium.

FOLLOW THE BRAVES
For complete coverage of Bradley Soccer, please follow the Braves on social media at @BradleySoccer (Twitter), /BradleySoccerAlumni (Facebook) and @bradleybravessoccer (Instagram) or visit the official home of Bradley Athletics at BradleyBraves.com. To receive the latest news on Bradley Soccer directly in your inbox, sign up for eNews in the Fan Zone.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#27 Lucas Fontana: GK; 5' 10"; Freshman; Central Illinois United

Players Mentioned

#27 Lucas Fontana
: 5' 10"; Freshman; Central Illinois United
: GK

Soccer Draws Marquette, 1-1

Danny Dahlquist Memorial Game Draws Crowd of Nearly 1,000 to Peoria Notre Dame HIgh School

Players Mentioned

#27 Lucas Fontana

Players Mentioned

#27 Lucas Fontana