Before a nine-day break in between matches, the Bradley soccer team was building momentum.
A rollercoaster comeback win over Green Bay and a hard-fought draw with Western Illinois set the precedent that this year’s squad would be a tough out for any opponent.
Losing their momentum in their week off wasn’t an option.
They had to keep stacking good days, as defender Adrian Franks put it.
The Braves got their chance to showcase what stacking good days could look like on Friday, when they traveled to Eastern Illinois to take on the Panthers in what would prove to be a high-scoring affair.
Twelve days after playing an eight-goal thriller against Green Bay, the Braves once again found themselves in a shootout with a formidable opponent.
Bradley and Eastern Illinois scored a combined six goals in a 3-3 draw, with neither side able to pull ahead by halftime or at the full-time whistle.
The Braves struck first thanks to one of their seniors.
Just over a minute into the contest, Eastern Illinois goalkeeper Pierre-Jean Dannenmüller took possession of the ball and looked to his left for a pass.
What Dannenmüller missed was Bradley midfielder Mitch Coughlon barreling towards him on his blind side.
As Dannenmüller motioned to kick it, Coughlon stuck his foot out at the ball, knocking it away and causing the keeper to whiff on it. Coughlon then tapped the ball into the wide open net, and the Braves were ahead in the blink of an eye.
Bradley held the lead for 11 minutes before the Panthers finally pounced.
Junior forward Nolan Getzinger dribbled through the Braves’ backline and fired a shot past goalkeeper Marçal Salom Chandre to level the game at one apiece.
Eleven minutes after that, Eastern Illinois doubled their tally as senior forward Sergej Misic flicked a pass off his back heel into the net.
Bradley would find their response with 10 minutes left to go in the half.
A corner kick found the foot of sophomore Fjölnir Sigurjónsson, who flicked it up into the box. The ball fell to the head of freshman defender Luca Meyers-Richer, who was able to hit it into the back of the net to tie the game going into halftime.
The momentum wouldn’t last though as the Panthers reestablished their lead early in the second half.
A pass found Eastern’s Keidin Green, who had assisted the second goal, but he couldn’t control it. It appeared that Chandre would be able to receive it cleanly, but a miscommunication between him and a defender allowed Green to recollect the ball and fire it into the net.
The Braves pushed for an equalizer, but they were unable to get a quality chance on net to bring the game even.
Then they caught a massive break.
A throw in towards the box sent multiple players to the ball. Freshman midfielder Liam Healey went to head the ball down, but as he did, the foot of a Panthers player who was also charging the ball caught him in the face.
Bradley had a penalty kick and a chance to leave Charleston with a draw.
Coughlon stepped up to take the penalty, sending the keeper the other way as he converted with ease to secure a brace for him on the day.
Both sides pressed for a winner in the final seven minutes but neither could find the decisive shot. A six goal thriller was what they were forced to settle for.
The Braves next play on Wednesday as they look to match last season’s win total against Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.
