Peoria, IL -- Bradley men's soccer will open their 2024 season when they welcome the Chicago State Cougars to Shea Stadium.
Game Information
Bradley Braves 0-0-0 (0-0-0 MVC) vs. Chicago State Cougars 0-0-0 (0-0-0 NEC)
Date & Time: Thursday, August 22, 2024 • 7 PM
Location: Shea Stadium
Live Coverage: ESPN+ | Live Stats
Tickets: Information on tickets can be found here
Series History
The all-time series between Bradley and Chicago State is brief, despite both being in-state schools. Bradley and Chicago State have met only once prior in men's soccer, which was in the first match of the 2023 season. In that meeting, Bradley jumped out to a 1-0 lead after a goal by DJ Koulai. However, following a late equalizer by the Cougars, the Braves mounted a handful of quality attacks in the game's last eight minutes until DJ Koulai linked up with Kevin Mejias to score the game-winning goal in the 83rd minute.
About the Braves
The Braves are coming off a 5-6-6 campaign in 2023, having gone unbeaten through their first eight games, which was the program's fourth-best start to a season all-time. BU also returns a strong core of impact players for the 2024 season. This core is highlighted by names such as DJ Koulai
, who was an MVC All-Freshman team selection in 2023, and team captain Charlie Dickerson, who led the Braves in minutes played. Additionally, the Braves will be looking forward to the return of Kevin Mejias, who led the team in both goals and assists last season before missing the last 10 games of the year due to injury.
Bradley will be entering a new era in its program's history with first-year head coach Tim Regan. Regan, a former Adidas All-American, is in the Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame for men's soccer. He played from 1999 to 2002 and helped Bradley earn its first three MVC Championships in program history, as well as qualify for the program's first two NCAA Tournaments.
About the Cougars
In 2023, the Cougars finished with a record of 5-10-4 (3-4-3 OVC). This season, Chicago State will be playing its first year in the Northeast Conference. Prior to joining the NEC this season, the Cougars were members of the Ohio Valley Conference in men's soccer. The start to 2024 will be anything but easy for the Cougars, as they will play their first five games of the season on the road, beginning with this trip to Peoria. The Cougars do, however, bring some familiar faces to the Peoria area, including goalkeeper Lucas Fontana, who played his high school soccer at nearby Peoria Notre Dame, along with former Bradley Brave Danail Sergiev.
The Cougars are led by third-year head coach Norris Howze. Howze is a former assistant at the University of Memphis before being named the head coach at Chicago State in the 2022-23 school year.
