SPRINGFIELD – The No. 9-ranked Missouri State men's soccer team (12-0, 6-0 MVC) locks up with visiting Evansville (2-10-1, 0-6 MVC) this Saturday (Oct. 26) at Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium. Coach Jon Leamy's Bears are looking for their 13^th straight victory, which would break the program's all-time winning streak record.
 
Members of the 1999 MSU team, which currently owns a share of the squad record with 12 straight wins in that memorable campaign, will be honored during halftime activities.
 

#9 Missouri State vs. Evansville
Dates	Saturday, Oct. 26 | 5:00 p.m.
Location	Springfield, Mo.
Site	Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium
Tickets	$5 for General Admission Stadium Seating | Free Admission for Children 12 and Under
Follow Along	Live Stats | Media Availability with Coach Jon Leamy
Missouri State	United Soccer Coaches Poll | Men's Soccer Home Page | Record Book | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Match Details
Kickoff for the homecoming match on Saturday, Oct. 26 is set for 5:00 p.m. from Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium.  Live stats of the match are available at MissouriStateBears.com.
 
For all of the latest information and in game updates on the Missouri State men's soccer team, visit MissouriStateBears.com or follow @MSUBearsMSoccer on Twitter and Instagram.
 
Poll Position

• Missouri State jumped five spots to No. 9 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Top-25 Poll, announced on Tuesday (Oct. 22).  They became the fourth team in program history to receive a top-10 ranking in the national poll, joining the 1999, 2000, and 2005 teams.
• The No. 9 ranking marks the highest spot for the Bears since the 2005 team peaked at No. 9 during an eight-week stretch inside the top-25.  MSU's highest ranking came in the 2000 season with a No. 3 spot in the Sept. 11 poll.
• The Bears cracked the top-25 rankings for the second straight year, debuting at No. 19 on Sept. 24.  It was first top-25 ranking for MSU since the 2018 team earned a spot at No. 25 on Oct. 9, 2018.
• The United Soccer Coaches poll wasn't the only top-10 ranking for MSU this week as the latest NCAA RPI rankings have the Bears at No. 10.
• MSU checks in at No. 13 and No. 15 in the latest TopDrawerSoccer.com and College Soccer News polls, respectively.

 Quick Kicks

• Missouri State (12-0, 6-0 MVC) earned its 12th-straight victory in dramatic fashion as Greg Stratton scored the game-winner in the 80th minute of the Bears' 2-1 win at Bradley on Saturday, Oct. 19.
• With the win against Bradley, the Bears matched the program's longest winning streak set by the 1999 team who won 12 consecutive games from Sept. 12-Oct. 24.  The 12-game winning stretch is the nation's longest active winning streak as MSU is the only team in all of Division-I men's soccer that remains perfect in 2019.  The Bears have won seven straight road matches, tying Saint Mary's (Calif.) for the nation's longest active road winning streak with a stretch that dates back to last season.   
• MSU maintains its spot atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings as the Bears have opened league play with a 6-0 record for the first time in program history.  Picked as the MVC frontrunner in the league's preseason poll, the Bears are one league win shy from tying the 2001 and 2009 teams for most in a season.  The Bears' winning streaks have broken into the Valley record books as well, rounding out the top-4 for the longest overall and conference win streaks by an MVC team.
• MSU features a fierce defense that ranks sixth nationally in goals against average (0.408) and has allowed just five goals on the season to tie for the second fewest in Division-I.  The Bears have been unyielding defensively in the latter stages of matches, keeping opponents scoreless in the second half and overtime this season.  They rank in the top-10 in shutouts per game with seven shutouts through 12 matches this season, boasting a pair of multi-game shutout streaks (Sept. 2-Sept. 10 and Sept. 26-Oct. 9).
• The Bears' attack is ninth in the nation in scoring offense with 29 goals to give them their highest season total since 2005 (38).  Missouri State is outscoring opponents by a 29-5 margin this season while finding themselves trailing on the scoreboard in just three matches.
• Senior forward Matthew Bentley has scored in four straight matches for the Bears, totaling six goals in that stretch which includes back-to-back two-goal performances against Evansville (Oct. 5) and Bradley (Oct. 9).  He leads the conference with 19 total points, tallying a team-high eight goals and three assists in his first season with MSU.
• Josh Dolling leads the conference with four game-winners this year, recording the go-ahead goal in the first four matches for the Bears. 
• Goalkeeper Michael Creek has made all 12 starts in goal this season for MSU with 1063:46 minutes played, ranking eighth nationally in goals against average (0.423).  The junior from St. Louis has been an enforcer between the pipes, collecting 20 saves and allowing just five goals on the season to rank atop the MVC with a 0.800 save percentage.  With five clean sheets this season, Creek has 11 career shutouts, tying him with Lance Parker (2004-07) for sixth on career shutouts for the Bears.
• Missouri State sits atop the MVC in most statistical categories, leading the league in points (83), goals (29), assists (25), shots on goal (71), goals against average (0.408), and save percentage (0.815).
• Seven different MSU players have received weekly MVC laurels this season with Jack Denton (Defensive, Week 2), Dolling (Offensive, Week 3), Kyle Hiebert (Defensive, Week 3), Stuart Wilkin (Offensive, Week 4), Ben Stroud (Defense, Week 5), Michael Creek (Defense, Week 6), and Greg Stratton (Defense, Week 7) each collecting weekly honors.

 Know the Foe

• Evansville is 2-10-1 on the season, dropping eight straight matches which includes a 4-0 loss against Missouri State on Oct. 5.  The Purple Aces are winless in their six conference games this season, being outscored 12-2 against MVC opponents.
• Frederik Reimer is second among Valley goalkeepers in saves per game with 44 saves in his 13 starts in goal for the Purple Aces.
• Evansville ranks first in the conference in shot accuracy with 62 of its 140 shots coming on goal.
• Midfielder Jesse Stafford-Lacey leads the Purple Aces in points (7) with three goals and an assist in his senior season.
• Marshall Ray is 30-47-13 in his fifth season as head coach for Evansville.  He is 1-5-2 against Missouri State in his coaching career, winning his lone match versus the Bears in a 2-1 contest on Oct. 29, 2016 in Springfield.    

 Series History

• Missouri State leads the all-time series 20-10-5 against Evansville.  In the first match of the 2019 series, the Bears scored four goals in the first half in route to a 4-0 win over the Purple Aces on Oct. 5 in Evansville, Ind.
• MSU is 7-5-1 when playing in Springfield against the Purple Aces with the Bears winning the most recent match 1-0 on Sept 23, 2017.
• The two teams have faced each other in the MVC Tournament the past two seasons with MSU advancing on penalty kicks in 2017, followed by a 5-2 Bears' win in 2018.
• Head coach Jon Leamy has been at the helm for all 36 matches in the series, posting a 7-1-2 record in the past 10 contests between the two teams.