Valley Release
 
ST. LOUIS – Missouri State defender Greg Stratton was named Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week, the league announced on Tuesday.
 
He becomes the sixth straight player—and seventh overall—to earn weekly conference honors for No. 14 Missouri State (11-0, 5-0 MVC) this season as he follows teammates Jack Denton (Defensive, Week 2), Kyle Hiebert (Defensive, Week 3), Josh Dolling (Offensive, Week 3), Stuart Wilkin (Offensive, Week 4), Ben Stroud (Defensive, Week 5), and Michael Creek (Defensive, Week 6).
 
The junior from Marietta, Ga. bolstered a Missouri State backline that allowed just one goal in the Bears' sweep of conference opponents Drake and Bradley last week to keep MSU perfect in 2019.
 
Stratton and the MSU defense recorded the team's fourth straight shutout in a 3-0 win against Bradley on Wednesday, Oct. 9.  The defense held the Braves to their lowest shot total this season with just six shots in the match to preserve the clean sheet for MSU.
 
He played the full 90 minutes in the Bears' 3-1 win over Drake on Sunday, Oct. 13.  Stratton was one of eight MSU players to record a shot against Drake as the Bears posted a 17-3 shot advantage over the Bulldogs on Sunday.   
 
MSU boasts one of the fiercest defenses in the nation, ranking third nationally with a 0.356 goals against average and allowing just four goals in 2019.  The Bears have recorded shutouts in seven of their 11 matches this season, outscoring opponents by a 27-4 margin in 2019.
 
The Bears stayed in the No. 14 spot in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll that was released earlier today (Oct. 15).  As the winners of 11 straight matches, MSU is the only unbeaten, untied team remaining in all of Division-I men's soccer.
 
No. 14 Missouri State travels to Peoria, Ill. to face Bradley for the second time in three matches on Saturday, Oct. 19 with kickoff at 7:00 p.m. from Shea Stadium.