PEORIA, Ill. - On a night filled with missed opportunities, Bradley senior forward Cody Lofgren took advantage of a late chance and scored the golden goal with just 1:29 left to play, lifting the Braves (4-6-0) to a 2-1, double-overtime victory against Denver (6-4-1) Monday night at Shea Stadium.

Playing its first home game since Sept. 4, the Braves snapped a two-game overall skid and started a 5-game home stand with some momentum.

Although both teams generated a number of chances throughout the night, the two keepers combined for just one save, recorded by Denver netminder Ryan Massey in the 104th minute.

Bradley was outshot, 7-3, in the first half, but the Braves missed on three great scoring chances on those shots. Just six minutes into the game, Jason Lesch drew Massey away from the net with a run into the right side of the penalty area, then fed Falk Dennert with a centering pass. Dennert one-timed a shot directly to the center of the goal, where a Denver defender was able to clear the ball away. In the 15th minute, defender Jacob Taylor ripped a shot toward the left post and Lesch deflected it past Massey, but the Braves were offside on the deflection, nullifying the goal. And in the 40th minute, a long throw fell inside the 6-yard box, where Grayson McGraw had an attempt with an open net, but he mis-hit his attempt, popping the ball straight up.

In between Bradley's first-half chances, Denver grabbed a 1-0 lead when Teddy Mullin ripped a shot inside the left post at 22:22 for his fourth goal of the year. The play was set up by Eric Kronenberg, who was able to free himself on the right endline, centering a pass that Reagan Dunk dummied to Mullin, who was charging in from the top of the 18.

While Denver finished the game with a 19-12 advantage in shots, Mullin's first-half goal proved to be the only shot on goal the Pioneers could muster.

The Braves had two more great chances off of head balls early in the second half, one by Jacob Taylor on a 54th-minute corner kick that was knocked down in traffic and one by Alex Garcia, who flicked a long throw off the cross bar in the 56th minute.

Bradley finally broke through in the 78th minute when Denver was unable to clear an Andrew Brown free kick at the top of the "D." Freshman defender Jacob Taylor collected the loose ball and drove a shot through traffic and into the back of the net at 77:30 for his second goal of the season.

Sans a header by Denver's Reid Hukari that hit off the cross bar in the 93rd minute, the overtime sessions were rather uneventful until Bradley's final possession. The Braves worked the ball across the field in their attacking end as Grant Bell fed Lofgren on the left flank. Lofgren, who had been working the sidelines all night, changed course and made his run back into the center of the park across the top of the penalty area before unleashing his shot that found the side netting inside the right post at 108:31.

The Braves will return to Missouri Valley Conference action Saturday night when they host Evansville in a 7 p.m. kickoff at Shea Stadium. It will be Youth Soccer Night at Shea Stadium Saturday: Group ticket pricing is available for all area high school, middle school and youth soccer teams, as well as Central Illinois Soccer Academy alumni. Head coach Jim DeRose will conduct a pregame "chalk talk" and teams in eighth grade and younger, as well as former CISA campers, will be able to take on on-field photo with Bradley mascot Kaboom! immediately following the game. For more information on the group ticket opportunity, contact Joe Dolan at 309-253-8136.

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

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