SPRINGFIELD – The Missouri State men's soccer team (7-4-1, 3-1 MVC) will host Drake (4-8, 1-3 MVC) in an MVC match-up at Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium on Saturday (Oct. 15) at 7 p.m.
 
Match Information:
Missouri State Bears vs. Drake Bulldogs, 7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 15
Location: Springfield, Mo.
Site: Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium (1,000)
Live Stats | The Valley On ESPN3
 
Series History
Missouri State is 13-12-5 all-time against Drake, and 3-2 over the last five meetings. Last season, the Bears fell to the Bulldogs in Des Moines, Iowa, 2-1. In the 87^th minute, MSU's Nick Burtenshaw found teammate Jack Griffin, who was able to blast the ball into the back of the net, but it was not enough to overcome the 2-0 deficit. The last time the two programs faced off at Allison South Stadium was in 2014, when the Bears captured the 2-0 shutout victory over the Bulldogs. Then-junior, Emmerich Hoegg, tallied the game-winning goal in the 49^th minute of the match.
 
Quick Kicks

• The Missouri State Bears are currently second in the Missouri Valley Conference with nine points behind the Loyola Ramblers, who are sitting in first place with an undefeated league record and 12 points. SIU Edwardsville jumped to third place with seven points after defeating the Bears on Tuesday (Oct. 11). Evansville (6), Drake (3), Central Arkansas (3) and Bradley (0) round out the rest of the standings.
• The Bears are 14-1-4 all-time at Allison South Stadium, allowing just five goals in the 18 matches played at the home facility. MSU's lone loss came to Tulsa in 2014, when the Bears fell to the Golden Hurricane, 1-0. This season, Missouri State has grabbed shutout victories at home over Green Bay (2-0), UMKC (1-0), Eastern Illinois (3-0) and Central Arkansas (1-0), while tying Oral Roberts (1-1) and giving up a goal against Bradley (2-1).
• Robbie Oslica scored his second goal of the season in Tuesday's 2-1 loss at SIUE. The junior leapt over the top of nearly 10 players to head the ball past the league's reigning keeper of the week, Kyle Dal Santo. Oslica is the only defender to score for the Bears this season.
• Missouri State is second in the league in goals allowed (8) behind Loyola (6). MSU's goalkeeper, Liam Priestley, ranks second among Valley keepers in goals against average (0.65) and third in save percentage (.778). The Bears have six shutouts on the season, just one shy of the season total from a year ago.

Scouting the Opponent
The Drake Bulldogs enter Saturday's match with an overall record of 4-8 and are 1-3 in league play after securing their first MVC victory over Bradley (1-0) on Tuesday (Oct. 11). Drake opened the season with a five-game road swing, grabbing wins over CSU Bakersfield (1-0), Milwaukee (3-2) and UMKC (2-0). The Bulldogs opened at home with a 1-0 loss to Green Bay. That match began a six-game losing streak for Drake, as it dropped matches to No. 18 Loyola (1-0), Illinois-Chicago (3-2), Western Michigan (2-1), SIUE (2-1) and No. 14 Loyola (4-0).
 
Follow the Bears
For more information on the Missouri State men's soccer team, visit MissouriStateBears.com or follow the Bears on Twitter (@MSUBearsMSoccer).