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CHARLESTON, Ill. – Chris Pearson put Eastern Illinois men's soccer ahead with an early goal, but later got sent off after receiving a second yellow card and Bradley took advantage, scoring the game-winner in the 86th minute to defeat the Panthers and spoil senior day Saturday afternoon at Lakeside Field.

 

The Missouri Valley Conference battle was played in front of an energetic crowd of over 500 fans on a beautiful fall afternoon. Both teams have been ranked among the NSCAA Midwest Region Top 10 the entire season.

 

In each of the last three EIU-Bradley meetings at Lakeside Field, the Braves have scored the game-winner in the final 15 minutes of regulation. Reserve forward Ken Hickman provided the heroics on this day, capitalizing on an opportunity that found him alone in front of the goal at about 12 yards out. His shot slipped inside the far post into the bottom corner.

 

Bradley goalkeeper Mike Haynes made five saves, including two extremely impressive punch saves on great scoring chances for EIU. He preserved the win in the 88th minute when he knocked down a header from Mick Galeski destined for the top 90 of the goal.

 

“Today was a tough one; hopefully our time will come,” EIU head coach Adam Howarth said. “I can't fault the effort, our effort was there. I think it was a game of two halves. We played pretty well in the first half on the good part of the field. In the second half it was tougher on the poor part of the field. We gave away some silly free kicks at the top of the box. Obviously going down to 10 men didn't help us either. We played hard and gave everything we had. The crowd was great. It was a great atmosphere.”

 

Pearson gave EIU (10-5-3, 2-3-1 MVC) a 1-0 halftime lead with his second goal of the year in the 16th minute. He headed in a serve from Patrick Mabeya, directing the ball into the net inside the near post.

 

Pearson was whistled for his second yellow card in the 62nd minute following a slide tackle on the west sideline. After the sophomore defender was sent off, Bradley (11-4-3, 3-0-2 MVC) played with a man advantage the rest of the game.

 

Joe Donoho tied the game in the 53rd minute when he blasted a free kick from the edge of the 18-yard box into the top right corner of the net.

 

Shortly after Donoho tied the game, Brad Peters nearly put EIU ahead again. In the 56th minute, Peters emerged from a scramble in front of the net with the ball but his shot, which wasn't hit cleanly, was knocked by BU defender Rudy Garcia for a team save.

 

Patrick Mabeya had EIU's other quality scoring opportunity. He ripped a rising blast from the edge of the 18-yard box in the eighth minute. Haynes left his feet and was able to punch the ball over the top of the crossbar.

 

Mark Hansen made three saves in net for EIU. His top stop was the first thrilling play of the game. In just the third minute, Stephen Brust uncorked a free kick from 25 yards out and straight on. Hansen dove to his left and deflected the blast out of bounds.

 

With the loss the Panthers were eliminated from the opportunity of having an opening-round bye in the MVC Tournament. Eastern is now assured of playing Wednesday, Nov. 14 on the tournament's opening night. The opponent will be determined following next Saturday's regular-season finales.

 

Eastern's three seniors – Brad Earl, Jeremy Maubach and Galeski – were honored prior to kickoff for their contributions to Panther soccer. With EIU and Bradley both featuring identical 10-4-3 records entering the contest, Saturday's game marked the first time two 10-win teams have met at Lakeside Field since 2000.

The Panthers are expected to play one more non-conference game, most likely at road game on Wednesday, before the start of the MVC Tournament. The opponent and kickoff time will be announced early next week.

More Info: Contact Ben Turner, Asst. SID