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Bradley beats SIUE 2-1, advances to MVC Tournament semifinals

Bradley players attack the SIUE net. Photo courtesy of Bradley Soccer on Twitter

The Bradley men’s soccer team defeated Southern Illinois Edwardsville on Tuesday for the third time this season by a score of 2-1 at Korte Stadium to advance to the MVC Championship semifinals.

In a win-or-go-home situation, the young team stepped up to put the Braves in the top four teams of the MVC. 

Both teams played very defensively during the first half and did not allow each other to create many opportunities. SIUE had more chances to score, as they shot five times, while Bradley struggled to find the goal and only put up one shot on target. 

Senior keeper Bryce Logan was a key figure for Bradley in the first 45 minutes, as he had three saves to keep the score equal at halftime. 

During the second half, the story was different for the Braves as they dominated and controlled the pace of the game. Bradley had 13 shots during the second half and played the majority of the time in enemy territory. 

Bradley struck first as sophomore Danny Collins tapped in a goal in the 54th minute off of two rebounds to give the Braves a temporary lead. The goal was Collins’ second of the season. The excitement would not last long, as Harvey Moyes scored the equalizer shortly after in the 56th minute to tie the game for SIUE.

Bradley stayed resilient and in the 73rd minute, sophomore Rasmus Smidtslund scored the game winner, his first goal of the season, after a brilliant cross by freshman Jared Sinnaeve and a beautiful head pass from sophomore Jack Douglas. 

The last minutes of the game were extremely intense as SIUE tried to tie the game, but Bradley’s defense was extraordinary and did not let the forwards create danger on Logan’s goal. 

With just 9.2 seconds left on the clock, play was stopped for a few minutes due to players arguing about a possible penalty, but resumed after a rather heated exchange between the two teams. 

“For me as a coach, we managed the game well after the second goal,” head coach Jim DeRose said in a postgame video posted to Bradley Soccer’s Twitter account. “I’m really proud of all the guys that played and the bench that gave us great energy all night.”

The Braves added their third consecutive win this season against SIUE, a feat they haven’t accomplished against any opponent in a three-game season series since 2019 against Evansville. 

The Braves will face No. 10 Missouri State in Springfield, Missouri today at 6 p.m. Bradley is looking to advance to the final of the MVC Tournament. The game will be available on ESPN+.

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