Box Score | Season Stats
 
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Missouri State men's soccer team (5-3-1, 2-0 MVC) battled through torrential downpour to take the match, 1-0, over the Evansville Purple Aces (6-4-1, 2-1 MVC) on Saturday (Oct. 1) With the victory, the Bears sit atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings with league foe Loyola.
 
"The guys worked very hard tonight and battled for that end result," commented head coach Jon Leamy. "We are getting better as a team, attacking more and improving in all areas each match. We will see Evansville again and it is monstrous to get the away leg in the home-and-home series."
 
The Purple Aces made the first attack for either team in the ninth minute of the match. Evansville set up for back-to-back corner shots, as Ben Weber was able to get a shot off on the second attempt for the Purple Aces, sending the ball over the hands of MSU goalkeeper, Liam Priestley. Missouri State's Phil Woods was on the goal line behind Priestley and made the team save to keep Evansville off the board.
 
The Bears and the Purple Aces fought for possession throughout the first half. The final shot of the half came from MSU's Mikey Lightbourne in the 38^th minute, but the senior sent the ball just wide of the goal to keep it a scoreless match going into the locker room.
 
The Bears fired seven second-half shots, putting pressure on Evansville's defense and the Purple Aces' goalkeeper, Frederik Reimer. In the 79^th minute of the match, Reimer left the game with an apparent injury he suffered earlier in the match and Evansville junior, Matthew Keller, substituted into the net.
 
In the 82^nd minute of the match, the Bears made a run on the Purple Aces, as MSU's Scott Midgley crossed the ball into the box to teammate Mitch Langton. Langton beat his defender and lunged forward to head in his first collegiate goal and the eighth goal of the season for the Bears.
 
Missouri State recorded its fourth shutout on the season, preventing Evansville from scoring in a match for the first time this season.  
 
The Bears will take a break from the conference schedule when they host Eastern Illinois in a midweek match-up on Wednesday (Oct. 5). The match against the Panthers will be the Bears' final non-conference home game of the 2016 slate.