Men’s Soccer Falls To No. 10-Ranked Bradley, 3-2; DeMello, Yingling Account For Vanderbilt’s Two Goals 10/4/02

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Vanderbilt-Bradley men's soccer game on Friday evening at the was definitely a game of halfs. While both teams battled through a scoreless first half at the Vanderbilt Soccer Complex, the second half yielded five goals. Unfortunately for Vanderbilt, the Braves (9-0-2, 1-0 MVC) outscored the Commodores (2-8, 0-1) 3-2 in the second half to pick up the win and remain undefeated.

Following a rather slow first half which both teams had trouble establishing control, the second half saw the exact opposite. The Commodores jumped on the board first in the 48th minute when forward Nik DeMello scored on a penalty kick following a hard defensive tackle by a Bradley defender inside the box. For DeMello, it was his team-leading fourth goal of the year.

The Braves knotted the scored up in the 58th minute when forward Joe Ducci gathered his own rebound following a direct kick from right outside the Vanderbilt box and header the ball past goalkeeper Matthew Gotterer. Both teams battled for another 14 minutes before the Braves struck again. In the 72nd minute, forward Hamid Mehreioskouei scored off another rebound, this time coming off a header from Ducci.

Head coach Jim DeRose’s squad tacked another goal on the board in the 82nd minute when midfielder Sam Mills buried a shot in the near corner following a perfect cross from forward Preston Good.

being down 3-1, the Commodores continued to battle. Their determination paid off in the 88th minute when defender Chris Yingling headed the ball over goalkeeper Chris Dunsheath’s head following a perfect corner kick from midfielder Kyle Lapkewych. With Bradley leading 3-2, this would be the closest Vanderbilt would get. The Braves actually had one more opportunity to score when midfielder Adam Hage was taken down in the Vanderbilt box with one second left in the game and was awarded a penalty kick. With Vanderbilt having no chance to win, Hage just rolled the ball to Gotterer to conclude the game. Bradley finished the game with a large advantage in the shot category, as it finished with 17 shots to Vanderbilt’s nine.

Vanderbilt returns to Missouri Valley Conference action at 3 p.m. Sunday against Eastern Illinois at the Vanderbilt Soccer Complex.

Goals
VU: Nik DeMello (Penalty Kick) - 47:00
BU: Joe Ducci (Unassisted) - 57:44
BU: Hamid Mehreioskouei (Ducci) - 71:26
BU: Sam Mills (Preston Good) - 81:47
VU: Chris Yingling (Kyle Lapkewych) - 87:24