Saturday was the Bradley soccer team’s Homecoming matchup versus the Missouri State Bears, who were ranked ninth in the country coming into the game. Students, fans and parents tailgated and packed the bleachers, hoping for a Braves victory to cap off Homecoming festivities.
The game started with a defensive showdown between both teams. There were multiple close calls for each side’s goalies within the first 10 minutes. The Bears struck first though, scoring a goal with 30 minutes left in the first half.
After this goal, Missouri State had an easier time passing the ball. This led to multiple near-goals for the Bears and great saves by Bradley junior goalie Alex Grow. These defensive efforts were successful for the next 18 minutes until the Bears converted a free kick in the 42nd minute to make the score 2-0, earning Missouri State forward Pablo Guillen a first half brace. Halftime would come soon after, with the score still favoring the visitors.
“[In the] first half, Missouri State did a good job of executing,” head coach Jim DeRose said. “Overall, the two goals before half changed our game plan. We got unlucky with some of the goals, but all the credit to Missouri State.”
Coming out of halftime, the Braves had a close shot on goal in the 51st minute. Unfortunately for Bradley, the Bears had a better shot two minutes later, as theirs went in to make it 3-0.
In the following three minutes, Bradley was mainly on the defensive until Missouri State scored another goal in the 55th minute. The Bears continued their aggressive play with goals at the 70th and 72nd minute marks to make it 6-0.
The Braves were successful on defense for the last 18 minutes of the game, but did not get anything on offense. The game ended with a final score of 6-0 Missouri State, the largest final score between these two teams since 2015 when Bradley last beat the Bears 4-0.
“Well, they are one of the best teams in soccer,” DeRose said. “They are one of the few teams in the country who can impose their game plan on anybody and complete about 80% to 90% of passes.”
“Everyone has to have a different game plan playing Missouri State versus what they do for the rest of the season. Their attacking process and technical ability are almost unmatched,” DeRose added.
The Braves almost gave up as many goals against Missouri State as they had all year up to that point, as they were outshot 17-5 in the contest. After going eight games with an unblemished record, Bradley will need to rebound from their two straight losses and put this blowout behind them.
“We talk about it, but you can’t just say let’s forget about it and move on. We watch the tape and get better,” DeRose said. “We might have felt better if the score was less lopsided, but that doesn’t change our matchup next week against Belmont.”
Bradley’s next game is against the Bruins on Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. at Shea Stadium.
