Men's Soccer

MSOC Championship: Bradley 3, Drake 1

No. 3 BRADLEY 3, No. 7 DRAKE 1

Box Score

Peoria, IL – Behind three second-half goals, the Bradley soccer team rallied past Drake in the Missouri Valley Conference Quarterfinals on Wednesday night, earning a 3-1 victory at Shea Stadium. With the win – the Braves' first come-from-behind victory of the season – BU improves to 11-7-2 on the year, while the Bulldogs finish their season at 6-11-2.
 
The three second-half tallies started with a pair of goals just 61 seconds apart shortly after the halftime break. Trailing 1-0, sophomore Roman Schindler pulled the Braves even in the 48th minute. Freshman Younes Dayekh sent a cross toward goal and Schindler knocked it in, beating the goal to his left for his team-leading seventh goal of the season and the 1-1 game. Sophomore Jha'Lon Johnson also registered an assist on the game-tying tally.
 
It didn't take long after that for the Braves to grab their first lead of the game. In the 49th minute, senior Jacob Taylor found classmate Clark Emerson on a long throw-in. Emerson then flicked the ball toward net and junior defender Alex Ciaramitaro finished his chance for his second goal of the season and the 2-1 Bradley lead.
 
Freshman Gerit Wintermeyer then sealed the Bradley comeback victory with his fifth goal in the 75th minute. Schindler found the rookie open behind the Drake defense and Wintermeyer beat the netminder in the upper corner near post for the 3-1 advantage. The Bradley defense would then shut the door and complete the win as BU advanced to the semifinals of the MVC Tournament.
 
Drake, who grabbed the lead in the 27th minute thanks to a goal after a cross, finished the contest with a slight advantage in shots, 16-13, and corner kicks, 8-6.
 
Graduate student Brandon Barnes registered four saves in net to earn the victory for Bradley. Drake counterpart Caden McCullough made five saves while taking the loss.
 
Bradley continues action in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament as the third-seeded Braves host second-seeded Central Arkansas on Friday. Game time at Shea Stadium is set for 6 p.m.