PEORIA, Ill. – The Drake University men's soccer team fell to Bradley, 1-0, on Homecoming Night in Peoria on Saturday. A goal by the Braves' Cameron Strang in the 57^th minute was the difference.

"This is a difficult result to accept because we had enough quality and chances to win the game," said Drake head coach Gareth Smith.
 
Bradley earned a corner in the early stages of the second half after a shot by Jha'Lon Johnson was deflected out of bounds. Johnson sent in the set piece delivery to the far post, Roman Schindler headed it to the top of the 6-yard box, and Strang redirected it into the top-left corner for the lone goal of the game. Johnson and Schindler were credited with assists.
 
Both sides traded periods of offensive control. The Braves applied pressure early with three shots on goal in the opening twenty minutes, but Drake goalkeeper Luke Anderson was a rock in net.
 
Anderson made a remarkable save in the 18^th minute when he came off his line to close down a Bradley attacker in the box, shutting off the angle and parrying away the near-post attempt.

"The first half was a back-and-forth affair with lots of transition," Smith said. "We needed to be better positioned to help not only compete for the first contact but secure the second contact so we could get a hold of possession and settle the game down."

Erik Fahner put Drake's first shot on goal in the 32^nd minute, and Istvan Wilhelms produced the Bulldogs' best strike of the night a minute later with a screamer toward the upper-right corner that forced a highlight-reel save from Bradley goalkeeper Nathan Wisbey.
 
Drake defenders twice made sensational efforts to clear shots off the line. Scott Misselhorn threw his body in front of the net in the 37^th minute to chest a would-be goal out of harm's way.
 
In the 77^th minute, Bradan Allen worked back to head away a shot that had snuck through Drake's defense. Moments later, Allen deflected out of bounds a rocket off the foot of Bradley's Gerit Wintermeyer. Both plays were vital in keeping Drake in the match.
 
The Bulldogs created ample opportunities but couldn't convert them into goals, as they put four shots on frame of their 15 overall.

"Credit to Bradley, they competed well and were effective in their gameplan," Smith said. "We had a better second half and created a number of chances but couldn't execute. We lost our runner in the box and they tucked away their chance. It's a soft goal from a defensive perspective -- the game is won and lost in both boxes."
 
Drake came close on many tries but couldn't quite seal the deal. Leroy Enzugusi collected a dangerous low cross in the 80^th minute and worked away from the goal, luring Wisbey off his line. Enzugusi laid it back to Cole Poppen at the top of the box, but Poppen's shot missed high.
 
Another tantalizing moment came in the 88^th minute when Fred Frimpong threaded the needle with a diagonal cross through traffic, but the pass was inches ahead of Enzugusi, who couldn't get a foot to it in the 6-yard box.

"In the end, it's simple," Smith said. "They took their chance and we didn't."
 
Drake (5-5, 2-2 MVC) hosts Evansville at Cownie Soccer Complex at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9.