The Braves seem to know how to do two things very well thus far into the season: play defense and win close games.
The men’s soccer team took down in state foe DePaul on Friday by a score of 1-0 and proceeded to beat Milwaukee by the same score on Sunday for the team’s third straight 1-0 win.
The biggest takeaway for the men was they were able to string together two 90-minute games of solid defensive play.
“In the preseason, we played against two teams that could be Final Four teams in the NCAA tournament,” head coach Jim DeRose said. “We had a chance to play against elite attacking teams. That helped establish an identity for our defense, and we found out what we need to do to compete.”
DeRose said the team has bought in to that identity, and junior defender JT Kotowski agreed.
“It’s really good to see that everyone is bought in right now,” Kotowski said. “Everybody’s riding the roller coaster pretty high.”
Kotowski was named the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Defensive Player of the Week last week, but his big highlight came in last Sunday’s win. In the 87th minutes, sophomore defender Jacob Taylor threw the ball into the box, which is the team’s typical strategy when the ball is close to the net.
The plan was to flick it on to a teammate and see what they “could get out of it,” according to Kotowski. What they got was a spectacular bicycle kick finish from Kotowski, clinching the win for Bradley.
“Luckily I was inside my guy and it fell right to me,” Kotowski said, “I was facing away from the goal, so I wasn’t really sure what to do. I tried to get whatever I could on it, and it ended up going in and it was awesome. It was a really good feeling.”
Friday’s win featured just as much defense as the game that would succeed it. In the 11th minute, freshman Frank Bak netted his second goal of the season, and the scoring would end there. DeRose said he was pleased with the way the team performed over the last week.
“I think we have a lot more consistency now,” DeRose said. “We have more stability in our lineup and we have the same healthy guys able to play. We know when subs are coming in now, too, so that has really led to consistency.”
The Braves have thrived under trying circumstances this season as multiple veterans, such as seniors Andrew Brown and Grant Bell, have moved positions, and many new faces are playing key roles in the rotation.
The Braves three-game win streak will be put to the test as they begin a three-game road trip tonight, which starts at Utah-Valley.
