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Eastern Illinois (1-7-2) at Bradley (3-6-2)
Oct. 11 at 7 PM CT
Peoria, Ill. (Shea Stadium)
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Panthers Face The Braves
Eastern Illinois men's soccer travels to Peoria, Ill. for an in-state showdown with the Bradley Braves on Tuesday, October 11.  The Panthers currently sit at 1-7-2 overall on the season following Saturday's tie against Western Illinois, while Bradley comes into the match with an overall record of 3-6-2 coming off of a tie on the road against Evansville.  Kickoff is set for 7 PM CT.

Eccles Leading The Way On Offense
Sam Eccles has been the Panthers' offensive leader so far this season.  The transfer from Hofstra leads the team with 24 shots, making him the first Panther to record 20+ shots in a season since Davi Girardi in 2019.  Eccles also leads the team with 10 shots on goal, and has scored four goals so far this season to go along with an assist.  His four goals put him in a six-way tie for first in the conference.  He is the first Panther to score at least four goals in a season since Tyler Oliver did so in 2015.  He scored hist first goal of the season off of a penalty kick in the 82nd minute of EIU's opener at Green Bay for the Panthers' first team goal of the regular season, and netted his second goal in the 8th minute against IUPUI.  Against Southern Indiana, he became the first Panther to score multiple goals in a game since Zach Medawattage did so in 2017.  

Elsewhere on offense, Delphy Sabu found the back of the net in the 72nd minute to help secure a tie against Xavier, while Julian Smith netted what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 15th minute at Purdue Fort Wayne off of a pass from Eccles.  Lesego Maloma scored his first career goal at Lindenwood off of an assist from Prince Okonny and netted his second goal of the season in the second half against Western Illinois.

Smith Locks It Down At Goalkeeper
Chad Smith has played a team-high 852 minutes at goalkeeper this season for EIU.  He played all 90 minutes at Purdue Fort Wayne, earning his first shutout of the season en route to a Panther win.  His four first half saves against Xavier single-handedly kept the Panthers in the game and his save in the second half preserved the eventual tie.  He accumulated a career-high 13 saves and allowed just two goals despite facing 51 shots in EIU's game against Dayton.  Smith's 4.9 saves per game lead the Summit League and rank 12th in the nation.  His 49 total saves also leads the conference and ranks 13th in the nation.  As a team, EIU leads the conference and ranks ninth in the nation with 5.5 saves per game and ranks second in the conference in total team saves with 52.

Scouting the Braves
Bradley is led by 27th-year head coach Jim DeRose.  The Braves are led offensively by Kaloyan Somov, who has scored two goals this season on 11 shots.  Pepe Mallado and Patrick Fishburne also have two goals apiece on the season for Bradley.  Goalkeeper Nick Burke has recorded 43 saves on the season and averages 4.78 saves per game to lead the Missouri Valley Conference in both categories.

Spallinger, Okonny Make Early Impact
Freshman Forward Jude Spallinger scored a goal in EIU's home exhibition win over Parkland CC.  Okonny delivered the assist on the goal and also scored a goal of his own in the win.  Spallinger also has one assist on the season and four shots.  Okonny has recorded six shots so far this season.

Smith, Hamler Named Players To Watch
Chad Hamler and Julian Smith have been named Summit League Preseason Players to Watch.  Hamler comes into this season having made 35 starts at Midfielder for the Panthers.  He scored a game-winning goal a season ago in the Panthers' win at IUPUI and recorded two goals in EIU's exhibition win over Parkland Community College.  Hamler leads all returing Panthers with 14 shots recorded a season ago.  Smith appeared in all 15 games for EIU a season ago, including six starts.  He scored a game-winning goal in EIU's home win over St. Thomas.

Series History
Tuesday will mark the 31st all-time meeting between the Panthers and the Braves.  Bradley leads the all-time series 19-9-2. The Braves won the last meeting 3-2 in Peoria on Februay 2, 2021 in the Panthers' only out-of-conference match in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season.

Up Next
The Panthers return to conference play as they head to Oklahoma to take on the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles on Saturday, October 15.  Kickoff is scheduled for 7 PM CT.

The Oakley Era Begins
This season is the first under new head coach Josh Oakley, who was hired as the 11th head coach in the history of the program on June 29.  A native of Mattoon, Ill., Oakley previously served as an assistant coach at EIU from 2000-02, and returns to Charleston after a successful stint at Lansing Common FC in the Midwest Premier League.  Oakley also has previous collegiate coaching experience with stops at Spring Arbor University, Alma College, and Asbury College.