MVC Release
ST. LOUIS – Missouri State's Ben Stroud was named the Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Bears' recent 4-0 win over Western Illinois, the league announced on Tuesday.
 
Stroud anchored a Missouri State backline that recorded its fourth shutout of the season in the Bears' lone match last week.  The MSU defense has allowed only three goals this season, boasting an MVC-best .424 goals against average while holding opponents to just 11 shots on goal.
 
The senior defender joined the Bears' attack to score a pair of goals to collect his first career brace. Stroud scored his first goal of the season in the 43^rd minute on a header off of a Greg Stratton cross following an MSU free kick.  He notched his second header in the 69^th minute on a corner kick to extend the Bears' lead to 3-0.  Stroud launched a career-high four shots in a match that MSU tallied a season-high 21 shots.
 
Stroud became the fifth MSU player to receive weekly MVC laurels this season, joining teammates Jack Denton (Defensive, Week 2), Kyle Hiebert (Defensive, Week 3), Josh Dolling (Offensive, Week 3), and Stuart Wilkin (Offensive, Week 4).
 
17th-ranked Missouri State plays host to Omaha on Tuesday, Oct. 1 with kickoff set for 6:00 p.m. from Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium.