EVANSVILLE, Ind. - With just one match left in the regular season, the University of Evansville men's soccer team has plenty on the line in a match with Bradley on Saturday in Peoria, Ill.
"We've left it up to us, realistically, and it's an interesting scenario to be in; to finish third depending on the results on the last day, or to not be in our own tournament that we're hosting," said Aces' men's soccer head coach Marshall Ray. "I think going into eight overtimes this year, not losing any and winning one and tying seven, the guys understand what it means to be in a situation where they have to get a result and that's where we are now. We have to go get a point on the road and hopefully get a win to put ourselves in a higher seed going into the tournament, but it's win or go home, so it is tournament time for us. I think over the last two years we've thrived in those situations and hopefully we'll step up and do that again on Saturday."
The Purple Aces head into the weekend after a tie with Valparaiso on Senior Day on Saturday evening. Despite not locking Evansville into the tournament, the point pushed the Aces two points clear of the Braves in the standings and into a tie for fifth-place with Drake. This Saturday's match features plenty of implications as three teams battle for two spots in the MVC Championship with Drake and Evansville advancing with a win or a tie and Bradley needing a win to move on to the MVC Championship.
Â
UE at Bradley (Saturday, 7:00 p.m.): Live Stats |
The Valley on ESPN (ESPN+) |Â
Bradley Website
Saturday night's matchup marks the 29th meeting between Evansville and Drake with the Braves leading the all-time series, 16-10-1. In last season's contest, the Aces and Braves played to a 2-2 double-overtime draw at Arad McCutchan Stadium on September 27. The last time Evansville defeated Bradley in Peoria, Ill. on October 11, 2014 in a 2-0 victory for the Aces. Heading into Saturday's match, the Braves hold an 8-4-4 overall record and a 1-4 mark in MVC action. Bradley is undefeated in non-conference play this season, going 7-0-4 against non-conference foes. Offensively, Bradley has been led by Gerit Wintermeyer, who has scored a team-high six goals on the season, adding four assists, to give Wintermeyer 16 points. Aiding the Braves' offense, Frank Bak leads the team in assists, dishing out six through 16 matches in 2018. In goal, Albert Reinwart has played and started in 14 matches for the Braves, recording 51 saves with a 0.94 goals-against average, amassing five shutouts on the year.
- INFO: For all of the latest information on University of Evansville athletics, visit GoPurpleAces.com or follow the program on Twitter via @UEAthletics.
                                  Â
- DONATE: For information on giving to UE Athletics or its individual athletics programs, visit the DONATE tab on the top of GoPurpleAces.com.
Â
- TICKETS: To purchase tickets for University of Evansville athletics events, log on to GoPurpleAces.com and click on the TICKETS tab on top of the page.
