After losing its third game in a row on Saturday at Drake, Bradley broke the skid Wednesday at Loyola with a 0-0 draw.
Wednesday’s double overtime battle with the Ramblers earned the Braves their first point of the conference season, despite not getting a result.
Although Bradley was outshot 25-9, its defense allowed just five shots on goal, three resulting in saves by senior keeper Nathan Wisbey.
“I thought we did a great job being extremely aggressive to step and block shots, and clear rebounds and second chance opportunities,” head coach Jim DeRose said. “Although we conceded more shots than we would’ve liked, we did not allow many shots on goal.”
In Saturday’s 2-0 loss, the Braves struggled offensively, managing just one shot.
“Drake’s attack kept us from moving forward,” DeRose said. “They had control of the ball for most of the first half.”
The Bulldogs managed to get their first goal in the 19th minute of the game. It came from forward Austin Smythe, his first of the season.
“I give a lot of credit to [Drake],” DeRose said. “They put a lot of offensive pressure on us from the beginning.”
Throughout the game, the Braves dealt with heavy Bulldogs’ pressure.
“Defensively, we knew we had to absorb pressure,” DeRose said. “They have one of the best attacking players, in the Missouri Valley [in junior Leroy Ensugusi].”
In the second half, Drake was quick to attack from the halftime break. In the 56th minute the Bulldogs struck again with a second goal from Ensugusi, his third of the season.
The Braves dramatically improved offensively after regrouping at halftime, managing to put up eight shots. Late in the half, junior forward Gerit Wintermeyer attempted to cut their deficit in half with a 73rd minute penalty kick. However, the attempt was saved by reigning MVC Defensive Player of the Week, Drake’s goalkeeper Luke Anderson.
DeRose said the Braves need to remain focused on the future, especially following the losses.
“In this new format, we kind of just have to lick our wounds and improve for the next opponent,” DeRose said.
The opening of the Missouri Valley Conference season comes with the start of a new conference format. Last year’s conference champion and affiliate member Central Arkansas left for the Sun Belt Conference.
As a result, only six schools in the Valley have men’s soccer programs. Now, conference play is set up as a double round-robin with teams playing each other in home and away games.
Unlike in other sports, soccer also plays part of their non-conference schedule during their conference schedule. DeRose mentioned that this poses a challenge and a need for strategizing in lineups.
“Expect more freshmen in the lineup,” DeRose said. “The goal is to be the best team come late October into November.”
The point earned at Loyola will be helpful for the Braves as they look to find the back of the net.
The next match is against fellow conference foe Valparaiso on Sunday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Shea Stadium.
