Player of the Week: Mitch Coughlon, Bradley
Defensive Player of the Week: Anel Kafedzic, Bradley
Goalkeeper of the Week: Marçal Salom Chandre, Bradley

Mitch Coughlon was nearly unstoppable for the Braves this past match week, as the senior from Washington, Illinois, established himself as an active presence in the final third against SIUE and Chicago State. Against the SIUE Cougars, who entered their matchup with Bradley ranked in the top 110 of the RPI, Coughlon was heavily marked and even double-teamed at times during his 68 minutes of action. Despite the extra attention, he managed to register two shots, with one finding the target. Coughlon’s second shot, wouldn't go down as a shot on goal but nearly won the game for the Braves, as the BU forward smashed an effort off the crossbar in the final minutes.Coughlon would not have to wait long to redeem himself later in the match week. Less than two minutes into the match against Chicago State, he recorded his MVC-leading fifth goal of the season, heading the ball home from inside the six-yard box. His impact in the final third would not stop there. Late in the first half, Coughlon found himself on a breakaway, but instead of going for his second goal of the match, he opted to play a short cross to freshman teammate Braden Missey, who headed it home for his first career goal.For the week, Coughlon recorded two starts and 141 minutes of action, finishing with one goal, one assist, seven total shots, and four shots on goal. He finished the week with a stellar 71% shot-on-target rate.

In the fifth match week of the season, Kafedzic recorded his first week with consecutive starts, starting against SIUE and Chicago State. Against top-110 RPI side SIUE, Kafedzic and the Bradley defense were tested often, turning away 16 shots and coming within 20 minutes of a shutout victory before SIUE capitalized on a tremendous strike from 20 yards out.Against Chicago State, Bradley recorded its second shutout of the season, with Kafedzic lending a hand in the scoring department. He found the back of the net for off a corner kick to extend the Braves’ lead to 4-0, collecting his second goal of the season. For the week, Kafedzic played 143 minutes across two starts, scoring one goal on three shots.

Marçal Salom Chandre had a bounce back week for the Braves in goal. The senior from Barcelona Spain was frequently called into action in the Braves 1-0-1 week opening with a road draw against an SIUE side that was rated in the top-110 of the RPI. The match saw him record three saves against against 16 shots faced allowing only one goal on a rocket from 20+ yards out.Salom Chandre would do even better than that against Chicago State, nearly collecting his second shutout of the season had he not been subbed off in the final few minutes. Salom Chandre would start both contests and played 173 minutes with a GAA of 0.52 and five saves.

Conference News & Notes

• Missouri Valley Conference play gets underway this weekend, with Western Michigan and Bradley traveling to Bowling Green and UIC, respectively, on Friday, and Evansville hosting Drake on Saturday night. 
• The regular season has been won by a different team in each of the last three seasons, including a three-way tie for first place last year. Western Michigan has won the tournament title in two of the last three seasons, while Evansville won its second tournament title in program history, and first in 28 years, in 2024.
• In the first issue of the RPI, Drake leads the MVC, checking in at No. 45. Evansville has the 18th-ranked schedule in Division I, playing half of its matches this season against teams receiving votes or mentioned in the Top 25 poll. 
• Bradley battled to a 1-1 draw with former league foe SIUE on Wednesday. The Braves’ five draws this season are tied for the most in Division I this year, joining Holy Cross, Stony Brook and FAU. 
• UIC has the highest shot accuracy among Valley teams this season, landing 8.43 shots on target per contest - the sixth-best average in the country. The Flames’ league-leading 18.71 shots per match are the fifth-most nationally. 
• Bradley’s Mitch Coughlon has tallied an MVC-leading five goals this season, ranking inside the top 20 nationally in the category. Coughlon’s 76.5% shot accuracy is the fourth-best in Division I, while the Braves lead the Conference in total goals (17). 
• As a team, Drake has allowed just four goals this season - eight fewer than the next team in the league. The Bulldogs’ starting keeper, Tomas Butkovic, has a 0.505 goals against average, leading The Valley while ranking 10th in Division I. 
• Bowling Green ended the week with a clean sheet at Mercyhurst. The Falcons’ Jason Ball made his season debut in goal, making four saves, including a diving stop of a penalty kick with 13 minutes left in the match.