The most challenging aspect of coaching sports is how teams change after every season. A team could see a lot of players return, but it’ll never be the exact team from a year ago, especially in today’s world of college sports and the transfer portal.
Losing a group that embodied a family environment is somber for the Bradley soccer team, but the Braves will continue to build on what was set before them.
“You know winning or losing, we’re family,” sophomore forward DJ Koulai said. “Not having those guys next year, I don’t know how the locker room is gonna look, but I think that’s something I’m gonna miss a lot.”
The Braves’ nine seniors played their last game in a Bradley uniform on Nov. 6, a 3-3 tie against Northern Illinois at Shea Stadium. After their loss at UIC, the Braves came into the season finale knowing they only had 90 minutes left as a team.
“We all knew that was the last day,” head coach Tim Regan said. “There’s still a strong level of sadness because you have a group of guys that are no longer going to play soccer at Bradley University anymore.”
“They put a lot of work in and I have a huge respect for that, the individual and team side, and so we always come together to just be thankful and appreciative of those details,” Regan added.
Koulai emerged with two goals in the first half and helped Bradley to a 2-1 halftime lead over the Huskies. It was Koulai’s first multi-goal game of his career.
“I know what player I am, and I know I can score goals,” Koulai said. “So I just got out there and had those two chances and I just put it in the back of the net. It was great.”
The second half flipped in favor of Northern Illinois. After sophomore forward Mitch Couglin scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season, the Braves surrendered two goals to NIU’s Sam Divis. The final goal was at the 85-minute mark and was another late-game score that shifted the result against Bradley.
“I would call it a season of close, but not close enough,” Regan said. “And a lot of really strong efforts in games where what separated the result was very, very small. Unfortunately for us, [the game] went the other way too many times.”
The Braves had seven games this season where they entered the final 10 minutes of the match tied with or had a lead against an opponent and gave up a goal that shifted the final result into a tie or a loss.
Bradley finished the season with a 4-8-4 record. If a few plays went differently, the Braves could still be playing in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
“There’s still a lot of satisfaction in the effort and with a couple of plays just here and there, we could be having a different conversation,” Regan said.
With the season officially over, the players and coaches can reflect on the previous year as they head into the offseason.
For defender Charlie Dickerson and the rest of the seniors, it’s about reflecting on what they have learned in their short time at Bradley.
Dickerson couldn’t pinpoint one ultimate lesson learned, so he broke it down into each coach that he played for.
“Jim DeRose was head coach as I came in as a recruit, and for me, the biggest thing that he taught me was just being a good person in life, despite different aspects of my identity,” Dickerson said.
“Coach Barnett is coach Regan’s assistant, and for me, I learned from him that being a leader is something that is not normal in this society at a young age,” Dickerson added. “And to be a leader, you need to learn a lot of different aspects and a lot of different ways that people need talking to.”
“Coach Regan is just the ability on the pitch, tactically, physically, mentally,” Dickerson concluded. “How can you be the best player possible in an environment, specifically collegiate level, where the competition is so high.”
The program develops these young players in various aspects of life beyond the soccer pitch. Jim DeRose set it as a standard in his 28 years as head coach of the Braves, and Regan followed suit in his first year leading the team.
“The time spent working under coach DeRose prepares you really well for being in charge, but you still have to deal with all the decisions of being in charge,” Regan said. “So my experience was one of managing a great group of guys that put into great effort every day, and it made that part of the job easy.”
Regan’s first season as Bradley’s head coach may not have met the team goals for wins, but it never lacked effort at any part of the season where the Braves played tough opponents.
“That’s a staple of the program… always was under coach DeRose and hopefully will continue to be,” Regan said. “You’re looking at lots of teams that are still playing games, and that way you know that your team played a really challenging schedule and held up pretty well and really competitive.”
It’s important for coaches in their first year as head coaches to have players buy into their systems and philosophies. Dickerson, Bradley’s captain, went beyond that.
“If I was to say I didn’t enjoy it, I’d be lying,” Dickerson said. “It’s just a blessing to learn off someone like him. He knows the game so well. He’s watched way more soccer than I think our whole team combined. He’s addicted to it.”
Despite having a season that resulted in more losses than wins, each player and coach still found positives at different points in the campaign.
Koulai’s was his first goal of the season at Kentucky on Oct. 15.
“It was really emotional because I know my teammates believe in me that I can do it,” Koulai said. “And I had to wait that long for me to get that first goal. It was emotional for me.”
Dickerson recognized the mentality growth of a team with 23 new players from the previous season.
“Going through difficult times but still being able to have such a strong team chemistry is something that we’ve definitely experienced this year,” Dickerson said. “We’ve got a lot of sophomores and freshmen and we were still able to create this great energy whilst we were practicing for the final two games.”
Regan remembered the season-opener against Chicago State, in which senior forward Kevin Mejias scored his first goal since returning from a season-ending knee injury the prior year.
“Anytime somebody deals with adversity and then comes out on the other end in a good way, I think it’s not only the individual success, but it’s a team success,” Regan said.
The Braves shift their focus to the offseason with recovery and preparation for next fall, hoping that experience and adversity continue to strengthen them.
“Continued competitiveness,” Regan said about the program’s future. “It’s what the program has carried for many years and will continue to.”
