SPRINGFIELD – With two league matches left in the regular season, only three points separate the No. 13 Loyola Ramblers (11-1-1, 4-0-1 MVC) and the Missouri State men's soccer team (7-4-2, 3-1-1 MVC) from the top of the MVC standings. The two teams will go head-to-head at Loyola Soccer Park on Saturday (Oct. 22) at 7 p.m.
 
Match Information:
Missouri State Bears at Loyola Ramblers, 7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 22
Location: Chicago, Ill.
Site: Loyola Soccer Park
Live Stats | The Valley On ESPN3
 
Series History
Missouri State holds the series edge, 4-1-2, over Loyola and is unbeaten in regular-season competition against the Ramblers. The Bears' only loss came at the 2015 MVC Men's Soccer Championship, where MSU fell to Loyola, 1-0, in the opening round of the tournament.
 
Quick Kicks

• The Missouri State Bears are currently second in the Missouri Valley Conference with 10 points behind the Loyola Ramblers, who are sitting in first place with an undefeated league record and 13 points. Evansville jumped to a third-place tie with SIU Edwardsville after drawing with Loyola on Saturday (Oct. 15). The Purple Aces and Cougars each have seven points, while Central Arkansas (6), Drake (3) and Bradley (0) round out the rest of the standings.
• With a victory on Saturday, the Bears have an opportunity to tie for first-place in the MVC standings with Loyola. A draw would keep Missouri State three points behind the undefeated Ramblers.
• Despite allowing two goals last week, MSU goalkeeper, Liam Priestley, ranks second in the MVC in goals against average (0.67) and has allowed just nine goals in 2016. The junior currently sits at fifth in single-season school history in goals against average and is tied for the second-fewest goals allowed in a single season at MSU.
• Redshirt senior, Emmerich Hoegg, currently leads the Bears in shots (26) and is tied with teammate Robbie Oslica with a team-leading three goals on the season. The forward has 12 game-winning goals in his career and is one away from becoming the all-time career leader in the category in MSU program history.
• Robbie Oslica scored twice last week in MSU's 2-1 loss at SIUE (Oct. 11) and 1-1 draw with Drake (Oct. 15). Both of the junior's goals were headed in off of corner kicks taken by senior Phil Woods. Oslica is the only defender to score for the Bears this season.
• Missouri State will play its final home match on Saturday (Oct. 29) in its "Legacy Game" against the Evansville Purple Aces at 7 p.m. MSU's eight seniors will be recognized prior to the match for their contributions to the men's soccer program.

Scouting the Opponent
The No. 15 Loyola Ramblers come into Saturday's match with an overall record of 11-1-1 and sit atop the league standings with an MVC record of 4-0-1. This week, the Ramblers moved up to No. 4 nationally in the NCAA Division I men's soccer RPI. Loyola's only loss this season came to No. 10 Creighton (Sept. 27), where the Ramblers fell 3-0 on the road. The Ramblers have won 25-straight games at home, the longest active streak of its kind in Division I men's soccer.
 
Follow the Bears
For more information on the Missouri State men's soccer team, visit MissouriStateBears.com or follow the Bears on Twitter (@MSUBearsMSoccer).