SPRINGFIELD – The No. 9-ranked and unbeaten Missouri State men's soccer team (13-0, 7-0 MVC) looks to post its second consecutive perfect month with a road match against Valparaiso (3-10-1, 2-5 MVC) on Wednesday, Oct. 30 in Valparaiso, Ind. at 12:00 p.m. 

The Bears, who have already clinched a share of the conference crown, can claim outright the program's eighth Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship with a win or draw against the Crusaders.
 

#9 Missouri State at Valparaiso
Dates	Wednesday, Oct. 30 | 12:00 p.m.
Location	Valparaiso, Ind.
Site	Brown Field
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Match Details
Kickoff from Brown Field in Valparaiso, Ind. is set for 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 30.  Live stats and a live stream 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.
 
Quick Kicks

• Missouri State (13-0, 7-0 MVC) continued its historic 2019 campaign by claiming a program-best 13th consecutive victory in a thrilling 2-1 win over Evansville on Saturday (Oct. 26) at Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium.
• Following MSU's win against Evansville on Saturday and Loyola tying with Drake on Sunday, the Bears clinched at least a share of the Missouri Valley Conference regular season title.  Missouri State can claim the program's eighth regular season conference championship outright with a win or draw in Wednesday's match at Valparaiso. 
• With the win on Saturday, the Bears broke the program's longest winning streak set by the 1999 team who won 12 consecutive games from Sept. 12-Oct. 24.  The 13-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 which ranks second behind Saint Mary's (Calif.) for the nation's longest active road winning streak with a stretch that dates back to last season.
• With a program-best 13-0 record, the Bears are off to the hottest start in Missouri Valley Conference history since the 2001 SMU team opened its season with 21 straight wins.  MSU is one win shy of tying last year's Saint Mary's (Calif.) team that went 14-0 to start the 2018 season.
• The 7-0 start is the program's best start to MVC play as the Bears have matched the 2001 and 2009 teams for most league wins 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 streak while their seven-game conference winning stretch is tied for third longest by an MVC team.
• MSU features a fierce defense that ranks sixth nationally in goals against average (0.453) and has allowed just six goals on the season to tie for the third fewest in Division-I.  The Bears have been unyielding defensively in the latter stages of matches, allowing only one goal in the second half and overtime this season.  They rank 12th in the nation in shutouts per game with seven shutouts through 13 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 31 goals to give them their highest season total since 2005 (38).  Missouri State is outscoring opponents by a 31-6 margin this season while finding themselves trailing on the scoreboard in just three matches.
• Senior forward Matthew Bentley has scored in five straight matches for the Bears, totaling seven 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 21 total points, tallying a team-high nine 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 13 starts in goal this season for MSU with 1153:46 minutes played, ranking seventh nationally in goals against average (0.468).  The junior from St. Louis has been an enforcer between the pipes, collecting 25 saves and allowing just six goals on the season to rank atop the MVC with a 0.806 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 (89), goals (31), assists (27), shots on goal (75), goals against average (0.453), and save percentage (0.818).
• 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.

 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.
• MSU checks in at No. 14 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings after moving inside the top-10 last week.  The Bears hold the No. 13 and No. 14 spots in the latest TopDrawerSoccer.com and College Soccer News polls, respectively.

 Know the Foe

• Valparaiso (3-10-1, 2-5 MVC) fell 1-0 at Bradley on Sunday, Oct. 27 as the Crusaders will play just its second home match in the month of October, following a rigorous five-match road trip.
• The Crusaders rank second in the Valley in shots on goal per game with 75 of their 173 shots coming towards goal
• Junior midfielder Mason Marcey leads the team with 10 points on four goals and two assists in 2019.
• Goalkeeper Edvin Holst has made 11 starts in goal this season for Valparaiso, leading the conference with 58 saves.
• Mike Avery is 90-100-46 in his 13th season as head coach for Valparaiso.  He is 0-4-1 record in five matches against Missouri State including a 2-0 loss on Oct. 24, 2017 in his lone home contest versus the Bears.   

 Series History

• Missouri State is unbeaten in the all-time series against Valparaiso, owning a 9-0-1 advantage against the Crusaders. 
• The Bears won 3-1 in the first meeting between the two teams earlier this season, scoring two goals in the opening 10 minutes to knock off the Valley foe. 
• Head coach, Jon Leamy has been at the helm for nine of the 10 matches in the series for MSU, carrying an 8-0-1 mark against the Crusaders.
• In a series that dates back to 1989, MSU has outscored Valparasio 23-6 in 10 matches, recording shutouts in four of those matches against the Crusaders.  The Bears are a perfect 3-0 in the all-time series when playing in Valparaiso, Ind.