Peoria, Illinois –The Central Arkansas men's soccer team will open its appearance in the 2017 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Friday night, taking on host Bradley at 6:00 PM.

Central Arkansas (8-10-0, 5-3-0 MVC) and Bradley (11-7-2, 4-3-1 MVC) met twice during the regular season, with each side defending its home pitch with a shutout. The Bears got second half goals from Daltyn Knutson and Nate Lancaster for a 2-0 win in Conway on October 14^th, before the Braves struck back with three first half goals for a 3-0 win at Shea Stadium on October 28^th.

The Bears, who earned the second seed in the tournament, enter the match as one of the Valley's most potent attacking sides, leading the league by averaging 1.78 goals per game and sitting second with a total of 32 goals, while allowing 1.56 goals per game for a total of 28 on the season. The UCA attack is led by MVC Player of the Year Niklas Brodacki, who leads the Valley and ranks second nationally with 15 goals and is tied for second in the MVC with five assists, bringing hit point total to 35, which is good for fourth in the nation. All-MVC First Team selection Pepe San Roman sits in the top ten in the league in assists (t-7^th, 4) and points (t-9^th, 12), while All-MVC Second Team selections Chris Holmes and Donald Benamna have added four assists and three points, respectively. All-MVC Honorable Mention Knutson has chipped in with two goals and three assists from his spot in the UCA midfield, while in goal, fellow All-MVC Honorable Mention Marc Olsen ranks fourth in the Valley in save percentage (.722) and total saves (57), fifth in saves per game (3.56) and shutouts (3), and sixth in goals against average (1.38).

Bradley is led by All-MVC Honorable mention Roman Schindler, who leads the Braves with seven goals and five assists, while MVC Freshman of the Year Younes Dayekh has five goals and three assists and Gerit Wintermeyer has added five goals and two assists. In goal, All-MVC Second Teamer Brandon Barnes ranks second nationally with 100 saves, sixth nationally with a .855 save percentage, and ninth nationally with 9.5 shutouts.

The winner of Friday night's match between the Bears and the Braves will advance to the MVC Championship match, where they will face either Evansville or Missouri State. Kickoff for the championship match is set for 1:00 PM on Sunday.