After impressive performances against Western Illinois (2-3-1) and Purdue Fort Wayne (1-2-1), Bradley soccer (3-2-1) ran into tough matchups against nationally recognized teams Xavier 2-2-2) and Green Bay (4-2).
A test of Bravery
Thursday, the Braves faced arguably their toughest matchup of the season on the road versus Xavier.
The Musketeers went 9-4-6 last season, won the Big East conference tournament and appeared in the NCAA tournament.
“I told the group that it’s the first big challenge of the year in terms of a nationally recognizable opponent,” head coach Tim Regan said. “I outlined some details about going on the road and getting a good result against a good team. It was just about if we’d be up to the challenge.”
For the first 50 minutes of the game, it appeared that Bradley was not only up to the challenge, but would also exceed expectations.
The Braves started with high energy, outhustling Xavier. Because of their efforts, Bradley controlled the ball and limited the Musketeers to non-threatening shots. Near the 12th-minute mark, the Braves went on the offensive and combined ball control with heads-up passing to gain the advantage.
Bradley finally capitalized in the 25th minute after a foul by an Xavier player led to a free kick that senior Joao Saraiva chipped in.
After the goal, the Braves kept attacking, registering three more shots before the 45-minute mark and took a 1-0 lead into halftime.
“It was a combination of good team defending and good patient attack,” Regan said. “We didn’t rush anything and had more composure than we had shown in previous games.”
“At halftime, the message was to carry the confidence,” Regan added. “We wanted to be confident to continue to do good things.”
Bradley remained confident, leading to a goal early in the second half when sophomore Ian Ferguson outran the Musketeer defense and netted his first score of the season.
The Braves’ goal seemed to wake Xavier up. After Bradley took the commanding 2-0 lead, the Musketeers began to play with a sense of urgency.
The 2023 Big East champions became much more physical and aggressive in their attacks and it paid off with a goal in the 54th minute. After the score, both teams jockeyed for the potentially deciding goal. Play became increasingly intense, which led to 44 fouls between the two teams.
“We were up for the challenge physically,” Regan said. “We were up for all the competitive battles throughout the game. There’s a level of discipline that you learn when you travel to certain places in college soccer where you can’t get too reckless with your defensive energy. We probably committed too many fouls that put ourselves in difficult situations.”
The Braves kept up their stout defense as the game waned, but Xavier didn’t back down and kept the pressure on Bradley’s backline.
“I think it was one of our most defensively sound games,” senior Charlie Dickerson said. “Our mistakes and errors were minimal, especially in the first half, but it was about how much pressure we could absorb. For 65 minutes, we absorbed every bit of their pressure.”
“Towards the end of the game, they’re bound to get chances when you’re trying to stay compact and absorb pressure,” Dickerson added. “It was hard for us. They were moving the ball and moving it well. We tried to stay calm in the final third of our defensive side.”
The Braves held on for as long as they could, but at last, the Musketeers tied the game 2-2 in the 83rd minute. After the goal, both teams failed to score the deciding goal.
A tale of two halves
After a strenuous match against Xavier on Thursday, Bradley was back in action in front of a packed crowd at Shea Stadium on Monday versus Green Bay.
Like Xavier, the Phoenix was an NCAA tournament team last season and came into the match on a three-game winning streak.
“They’re a quality opponent that went to the NCAA tournament last year for a reason,” Regan said. “We wanted to apply pressure early in the game and see if we could cause turnovers and keep the ball on the attack.”
In the first 25 minutes, the Braves successfully executed Regan’s game plan. Bradley dominated the ball, outshooting Green Bay 6-1.
Unfortunately for the Braves, they could not capitalize on their opportunities and the game was tied 0-0 at the half.
“We got ourselves a lot of pretty good attacking chances,” Regan said. “The final play is the hardest part of the sport. We must keep our confidence high as we generate these chances and know we can score goals.”
After halftime, the game completely flipped.
The Phoenix put pressure on the backline of Bradley’s defense. Green Bay seemed to have a fire lit under their cleats. Their players moved the ball exceptionally well on offense and kept the Braves out of striking distance.
In the first 13 minutes of the half, the Phoenix registered two shots, which was double their total in the first half, with the second shot being a goal to take a 1-0 lead.
The goal was the first time Bradley trailed at Shea Stadium all season.
Despite being in unfamiliar territory, the Braves responded well, and just eight minutes later, senior forward Francesco Pettinaroli scored his second goal of the season.
“When they scored, it was like a cold shower for us,” Pettinaroli said. “I think we kept pushing. We had many chances throughout the game and finally found the goal. We found the goal together.”
After Pettinaroli tied the game 1-1, it was back-and-forth for the next 20 minutes. Both teams played sound defense and kept the opposing offenses at bay.
As the 90th minute approached, Green Bay found their opportunity and capitalized with a goal in the 81st minute.
The score again woke Bradley up and the team frantically tried to score a goal before the game ended but was unsuccessful.
The loss was the Braves’ first at Shea Stadium this season and the second game in a row where Bradley struggled to finish games in the second half.
“We have the fitness levels to sustain 90 minutes of play,” Dickerson said. “The question is, can we stay fit mentally for 90 minutes?”
The Braves now head into Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play on Sunday versus Missouri State.
“The non-conference season went well in terms of the team learning and growing,” Regan said. “Every team in the conference is 0-0 in Missouri Valley play. The real challenges will begin for everybody.”
