Bradley men’s soccer faced off on Halloween against Missouri State, the ninth-ranked team in the country and three-time MVC regular-season champion. The game was a tale of two halves, as the Braves held their ground in enemy territory during the first half but eventually broke down during the second to fall 4-0.
While the Bears dominated early on, Bradley’s solid defense made it impossible for them to take the lead. As soon as a Bear had the ball, two or three Bradley defenders were already there to cause trouble. While Missouri State played a possessive game, the Braves countered with a very tight first half performance, not letting the Bears into the box.
Head coach Jim DeRose thought his team played a good game and that a “perfect storm” of circumstances played a hand in the result.
“We have a high work-rate and a high energy level that helps our defense pester the competition,” DeRose said. “It takes really good teams a while to break us down.”
Bradley’s lone senior, goalkeeper Bryce Logan, had little work in the first half, as he only had three saves to make.
“During halftime, their coach just told them to keep going at [Bradley],” Logan said. “When they just throw the kitchen sink at you, it’s hard to keep them out.”
The Braves got off to a running start in the second half, looking eager to attack with a lot more offensive movement. The Bears started getting desperate, as they couldn’t get close to the Bradley net and started shooting from long range.
After multiple attempts, the Bears got what they were looking for after a shot by Josh Dolling rebounded and landed back on his feet, breaking the deadlock in the 54th minute. The Braves could not recover as their offensive intensity dropped after Missouri State’s first goal.
“They scored one and it was a bit unlucky, and then the floodgates kind of opened towards the end,” Logan said. “If you are not focused during the game, those guys can punish you.”
As the Bears kept dominating throughout the second half, a second goal from Simon Pederson would cement the win along with two quick goals from Joel Peterson during the dying minutes of the game. The game would end 4-0, with Bradley registering just one shot.
Despite the loss, DeRose looks forward to having a healthy squad for the MVC playoffs, starting on Nov. 9.
“It’s not just about getting older; experience gives you wisdom,” DeRose said. “I hope that on Tuesday, we’ll be able to roll out a lot of the guys that have been missing due to injury, and we’ll see how we look with a healthy team.”
The Braves finish the regular season with a visit from Evansville on Nov. 6 at Shea Stadium.
