Bradley soccer trailed by a goal to Omaha, slowly moving towards its third loss of the season, but a 79th-minute penalty drew things level at 1-1, leading instead to its third draw in six games.
The Braves were coming off a tie against Purdue Fort Wayne six days earlier, and were now competing in their first home game since August. On the other side, Omaha was coming off a loss to rival Creighton on Wednesday.
The first half featured a nice defensive showing from both teams, with both goalies stopping each shot that went towards them. Bradley had six shots in the first half compared to Omaha’s four, with the Mavericks making three saves to stay level.
There were 21 fouls by both teams combined in the first 45 minutes, including 11 from Bradley and two yellow cards, one of which was given to junior forward DJ Koulai.
The second half also started out slowly, with zero goals in the first 20 minutes. However, in the 66th minute, senior goalkeeper Drew Berry let one in. Sophomore defender Gael de Montigny positioned himself on the left side of the box and crossed the ball in to graduate forward Theo Klein, who easily put the ball in the back of the net.
Trailing 1-0, Bradley had to respond quickly, and in the 79th minute, they did just that. The referee pointed to the penalty spot, and senior midfielder Michael Switala stepped up to take it. The South Carolina transfer kicked the ball to the right side of the net, slotting it home and providing the game’s final goal.
Both defensive units stood their ground for the final 11 minutes of the game, leading to a 1-1 draw and the team’s second consecutive tie. As a team, the Braves outshot the Mavericks 15-11, with Omaha having to make five saves to Bradley’s three.
Junior forward Stephen Saladin led the Braves with three shots, while Switala, Koulai and junior forward Mitch Coughlon provided six of the other 15 shots that Bradley took.
Moving to a 1-2-3 record for the year, the Braves look to get their second win on Friday, facing Division III school Millikin at Shea Stadium. The game kicks off at 11 a.m.
