PEORIA, Ill. – Freshman Tyler Davis scored his first career goal 4:44 into the first overtime period, lifting Bradley (2-0-0) to its first-ever championship in the fifth annual The Hotels at Grand Prairie Classic with a 1-0, overtime victory against Massachusetts (0-1-1) Sunday afternoon at Shea Stadium.

After UMass fired a pair of shots inside the game’s first five minutes, the Minutemen managed only four more the rest of the game as Bradley dominated the possession, finishing with a 21-6 advantage in shots and a 13-3 count in corner kicks.  With several shots just over the bar and UMass redshirt freshman keeper Matt Ruiz stopping seven more attempts, though, the Braves did not break through until a long throw minutes into overtime.

Sophomore midfielder Andrew Brown triggered the scoring play with a throw from the far flank.  Senior forward Wojciech Wojcik flicked the throw into the 6-yard box, where freshman forward Christian Okeke took possession and managed to get turned for a shot that bounced off a defender.  The ball fell to Davis, who kept his shot low through traffic and just beyond Ruiz’s reach.

Wojcik, who also scored Bradley’s game-winner in Friday’s 1-0 win against New Hampshire, was named The Hotels at Grand Prairie Classic Most Valuable Player.  He was joined on the all-tournament team by Braves goalkeeper Brian Billings and back Jason Coon and Johnny Contreras, a trio that spearheaded 185 minutes of scoreless defense on the weekend.

In Sunday’s first game, New Hampshire (1-1-0) rallied for a 2-1 win against Evansville (0-1-1) when Ugo Uche finished a Wildcats breakaway with just 1:22 left to play.  Evansville took a 1-0 lead in the 70th minute when Brandon Causey re-directed the ball from close range at the end of a throw-in sequence.  New Hampshire netted the equalizer on an own goal in the 81st minute, though, when sub Connor Pauley threw a laser into the box, where Evansville back Landon Souder’s attempt to head the ball clear resulted in a back flick past Aces keeper Eric Teppen into the top right corner.

 

The Hotels at Grand Prairie Classic Tournament Summary
Champion:  Bradley (2-0-0)
Runner-Up:  New Hampshire (1-1-0)
Third Place:  Massachusetts (0-1-1, 1 goal allowed)
Fourth Place:  Evansville (0-1-1, 2 goals allowed)

All-Tournament Team
Bradley:  Wojciech Wojcik (MVP), Brian Billings, Johnny Contreras, Jason Coon
New Hampshire:  A.J. Albers, Andrew Chaput, Ugo Uche
Massachusetts:  Matt Ruiz, Matt Keys
Evansville:  Patrick Hodges, Kevin Shafer

 

Bradley Athletics Mission
Provide every student-athlete the opportunity for both a distinctive education and championship experience
Accountability | Courage | Diligence | Integrity | Respect