SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The 21st season of the Missouri State women's soccer program officially begins on Friday when the Bears open the regular season at Arkansas State with a 4:00 p.m. contest in Jonesboro.  MSU leads the all-time series against the Red Wolves, 3-1-0, after defeating ASU 3-0 in 2014.
 
"I am excited to see this team in live action," said head coach Rob Brewer, who enters 2016 with a 182-162-44 record as the only coach in MSU history.  "It is an opportunity to find where we are, but still it is great to get back on the pitch and play meaningful matches.  If we can learn how to win on the road, which is something we did a decent job with last year, we could do very well this year."
 
Preseason All-MVC selections Mary Disidore and Brooke Prondzinski lead a core group of returners for Missouri State.  Prondzinski was second on the team with 14 points last season, including a team-best eight assists.  Disidore has earned all-conference honors in each of her two seasons with the Bears and is a pivotal force at midfield.
 
Redshirt senior Molly Brewer returns to the team after missing all of last season with an injury.  Brewer enters the season with 40 career points, fourth in MSU history, and is tied for second in program history with 14 career assists.
 
The Bears continue a season-opening three-match swing with battles at Texas Tech (Aug. 21) and at UMKC (Aug. 24) before the home opener at Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium on August 26 against Little Rock.  The 6:00 p.m. contest versus the Trojans will be the first-ever production of The Valley on ESPN3 for the MSU women's soccer team.
 
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