Final Stats

PEORIA, Ill. - J.T. Kotowski's penalty kick goal in the 89th minute proved to be the difference tonight as Bradley defeated the Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team, 1-0, at Shea Stadium in Peoria, Ill. With the win, the Braves move to 4-4-0 overall (1-0-0 MVC), while the Ramblers fall to 3-3-2 (0-1-0 MVC) and see their five-game unbeaten run come to an end.

Loyola wasted little time in taking the game at the hosts, who were playing in front of a boisterous crowd of over 1,500 on Homecoming weekend in Peoria. Sophomore Elliot Collier notched his first of three first-half shots 11 minutes in when he forced a save out of Logan Ketterer, the Bradley netminder. The Hamilton, New Zealand native was at it again three minutes later, testing Ketterer at his near post. The Maroon & Gold continued to see the fair share of possession as the half rolled on, pinning the Braves back in their own third of the field, but could not break down the Bradley backline.

More great work from Collier led to a golden opportunity for the Ramblers in the 26th minute. The sophomore left a pass for redshirt senior Ben Crognale, who pushed a one-time effort wide of the near post from 15 yards out. Freshmen Fabian Lifka and Ryan Walker each skied attempts inside of a three-minute span as time wound down. Sophomore Brody Kraussel notched the Ramblers' tenth and final shot of the opening stanza, nearly beating the buzzer when his blast was turned away by Ketterer at the near post. Despite holding a 10-1 edge in shots, Loyola found itself dead even with its in-state rival entering halftime.

Following a Rambler turnover in its own third in the opening stages of the second half, Frank Bak nearly put Bradley on top, firing wide of an open net from 25 yards out. The early miscue did not deter the Loyola attack as the visitors pressed on. Ketterer continued to keep his side in the game, making his first save of the half in the 67th minute on another Kraussel effort. Walker nearly bested the Braves' goalkeeper with a quarter of an hour remaining, forcing an outstretched save from Ketterer that kept the game scoreless.

With Loyola seemingly attacking at will, the Braves earned their only corner kick of the second half inside the 89th minute. The Rambler backline initially cleared Andrew Brown's service but a handball was whistled inside the penalty area on Tommy Clark's ensuing attempt, resulting in the referee awarding Bradley a penalty kick. Kotowski calmly stepped up and buried the attempt to give the Braves a 1-0 edge. A last-gasp headed attempt from junior Kevin Engesser soared just over Ketterer's crossbar with less than 30 seconds remaining as Bradley took home all three points in the conference standings.

Loyola looks to rebound when it opens a brief two-game homestand on Tuesday evening by hosting city-rival DePaul. Kickoff in the latest installment of the Red Line Rivalry is set for 7 p.m. from Loyola Soccer Park.