The Valley
In their last contest, the Bradley Braves battled for 90 minutes to earn a hard-fought 1-1 draw against the unbeaten UIC Flames. The result places Bradley in a six-team tie for second place after the Missouri Valley Conference's opening weekend, which saw only one match produce a winner and a loser (Evansville vs. Bowling Green). Bradley has six MVC matches remaining, with their next home conference game scheduled for October 18 against Western Michigan during homecoming.

The Bradley Braves
As the Braves hit the road, they will be looking for their first outright MVC win of the season while continuing to build momentum toward a potential berth in the MVC Tournament, where the top six teams qualify. Bradley has focused on a balanced approach this season, with 15 different players earning more than three starts and six players contributing either a goal or an assist. Mitch Coughlon and Michael Switala lead the team with a combined seven goals. Coughlon has already equaled his goal scoring total from last season with four. 

Drew Berry continues to shine this season, recently earning his second MVC Defensive Player of the Week honor. He recorded 10 saves across two matches against Green Bay and UIC, with a standout performance against UIC that included six saves and holding the NCAA's No. 6 scoring offense and the No. 2 individual goal scorer coreless for 60 minutes. Berry is the first Brave to win the award at least three times in a career since Logan Ketterer (2014–2016) and the first to win it twice in one season since Bryce Logan in 2021.

The Northern Illinois Huskies
Northern Illinois has already surpassed their win total from last season, currently sitting at 4-3-2 with victories over Green Bay, Western Illinois, IUPUI, and Governors State. In their first MVC match of the season, the Huskies also earned a 1-1 draw, coming against preseason favorites Drake. Jakub Drazek scored his first goal of the season in that match. The Huskies are coached by Ryan Swan, who is in his ninth season leading the NIU program. Swan holds a career record of 163-120-22 across 17 seasons as a head coach.

On the field, NIU will lean on Katai Mukuka and Vance Sheffield, who have each scored eight goals this season. In goal, Atahan Arslan has started every match, posting 11 goals against, 25 saves, a save percentage of 70.3%, and two shutouts.

Series History
The series between Bradley and Northern Illinois dates back to 1987 and has featured extended runs of success for both programs. NIU won seven of the first eight meetings from 1978 to 1996, while Bradley claimed six of the next nine matchups from 1997 to 2009. Since then, the series has been slightly in favor of the Huskies, with a record of 3-1-2 (excluding the 2020 season, when the match was not played due to COVID-19). The last time these teams met in Peoria, the game ended in a 3-3 draw during the regular season finale. In matches played in DeKalb, the Huskies lead the all-time series 7-2-1.