Eastern’s men’s soccer team has not beaten Bradley in five consecutive matches.

Sophomore defender Chris Pearson said the Panthers are not afraid of the Braves.

“They got lucky in the regular season match-up,” Pearson said. “They fear us more than we fear them.”

Bradley defeated Eastern 2-1 on Nov. 3’s Missouri Valley Conference match at Lakeside Field.

No. 4 seed Eastern (12-5-3, 2-3-1 MVC) will get another shot at No. 1 seeded Bradley (12-5-3, 4-0-2) in the semifinals of the MVC Tournament tonight at 7:30 in Omaha, Neb.

A late Bradley goal in the 86th minute lifted the Braves to its 2-1 victory Nov. 3.

The Panthers nearly tied the game in the 88th minute, but Bradley senior goalkeeper Mike Haynes stopped a header from Eastern senior midfielder Mick Galeski with his left hand to prevent a goal.

Pearson was the only Panther to score that night.

Eastern also played the Braves with a man down. Pearson was ejected from the game in the 62nd minute upon receiving his second yellow card from a hard tackle.

“My ejection really hurt the team,” Pearson said. “We should have won that game.”

Eastern head coach Adam Howarth said the two teams match up well, and that his Panthers believe it’s their time to come out on top.

The Panthers will look to shut down Bradley senior midfielder Drew DeGurian, who is third in the MVC with seven goals and tied for fourth in the conference with 19 points.

The Panthers received several breaks in the 1-0 victory against Drake on Wednesday, including a deflected goal off a free kick.

Howarth said he hopes that the Panthers’ luck is starting to turn and that breaks in the opening rounds will be a good omen for the team for rest of the tournament.

Bradley shared the MVC regular season championship with Creighton by matching 4-0-2 records in conference play.

If the Panthers win tonight, they will play in the MVC Tournament championship at 1 p.m. Sunday. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Net Midwest.

Eastern midfielder Adam Gartner drives down the field as Bradley’s Drew DeGurian attempts to cut in during Saturday’s game at Lakeside Field. Eastern and Bradley face off Friday in the second round of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. Graham Mill

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