NCAA Tournament Bracket
 
SPRINGFIELD – Coming off the program's first NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament win, undefeated Missouri State men's soccer (18-0-1) takes on No. 9-seed UCF (14-2-2) in a second-round matchup on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 5:00 p.m. (Central) in Orlando, Fla.
 

#12 Missouri State at #8 UCF
Dates	Sunday, Nov. 24 | 5:00 p.m. (Central)
Location	Orlando, Fla.
Site	UCF Soccer and Track Complex
Follow Along	Live Stats | Watch | Game Notes | United Soccer Coaches Poll | Bracket
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Match Details
The NCAA Tournament Second Round match will kick off from UCF Soccer and Track Complex at 5:00 p.m. (Central) on Sunday, Nov. 24.  Live stats of the match are available at MissouriStateBears.com.  The match will also be televised on Twitch | Watch.
 
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 (18-0-1) won its first NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament match with a 1-0 result against Denver in rainy conditions at Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium on Thursday (Nov. 21).  Hosting their first-ever Field of 48 match, the Bears triumphed over the Pioneers with a corner kick goal from the MVC Offesnive Player of the Year, Matthew Bentley, in the 72nd minute to send them to a second-round showdown with UCF (14-2-2).
• MSU boasts a suffocating defense that has held its opponents to just 11 goals on the season which is tied for the fifth fewest in Division I while ranking fourth nationally in goals against average (0.562).  The Bears have been unyielding defensively in the latter stages of matches, allowing only four goals in the second half and overtime this season.  With nine total shutouts in 2019, the Bears held a 24-3 scoring margin over their opponents through the first 10 matches, boasting a pair of multi-game shutout streaks (Sept. 2-Sept. 10 and Sept. 26-Oct. 9).
• The Bears' attack is one of the most lethal in the nation, ranking in the top-15 in scoring offense (11th), points per game (11th), total goals (11th), and assists per game (10th).  Yet to be held scoreless in 2019, MSU has scored 42 goals to give it the team's highest season total since 1999 (49).  The 42-goal mark is the most for an MVC team since Drake tallied 52 goals in 2009.  Missouri State is outscoring opponents by a 42-11 margin this season and has trailed in just four matches.
• Bentley becomes the second straight MSU player to finish atop the conference in points (34) and goals (15) after teammate Josh Dolling led the league last year in both categories with 17 points and 10 goals.  Bentley continues to climb the national leaderboard as well, ranking 9th in goals and 13th in points.  The senior forward recorded the fastest goal from the start of a game since an eight-second Cal State Northridge goal from Aug. 26, 2016 in MSU's 2-1 win against Loyola on Nov. 3.  Bentley saw his eight-game scoring streak (Oct. 5-Nov. 9) come to an end in the MVC semifinal match against Drake.  He bagged 11 goals during the eight-match scoring stretch, highlighted by a trio of multi-goal performances against Evansville (Oct. 5), Bradley (Oct. 9), and Valpo (Oct. 30).  In his first season at MSU, Bentley has etched himself into the history book, tallying the program's most goals (15) and game-winners (6) since Ryan Anderson recorded the same marks in his 2005 campaign.  His 34 points ranks as the third most in a season for an MSU player behind Matt Caution who totaled 38 in 1993 and 39 in 1995.
• Jack Denton has been a pivotal asset for the Bears' set pieces this year, tied for 20th in Division I with nine assists in 19 matches.  As the MVC's leader in assists this season, Denton boasts the highest total for an MSU player since Johannes Demarzi registered 10 assists in his 2009 campaign.
• Goalkeeper Michael Creek has made all 19 starts in goal this season for MSU with 1722:32 minutes played, ranking seventh in the nation in goals against average (0.575).  The junior from St. Louis has been an enforcer between the pipes, collecting 40 saves and allowing 11 goals on the season for a 0.780 save percentage.  With seven clean sheets this season, Creek has 13 career shutouts, tying him with Matt Pickens (2001-03) for fifth on the all-time career list for the Bears.
• After claiming the program's eighth MVC regular-season title and 10th tournament finals appearance, Missouri State will finish as the conference leader in most statistical categories.  The Bears rank first in the league in points (124), goals (42), assists (40), total shots (244), shots on goal (108), goals against average (0.580), and save percentage (0.792).
• MSU had 10 players earn 2019 All-MVC honors while taking home five of the seven individual Valley awards.  Matthew Bentley (Offensive), Kyle Hiebert (Defensive), and Michael Creek (Goalkeeper) each received player of the year laurels in their respective categories.  The Missouri State coaches were named MVC Coaching Staff of the Year after guiding the Bears to the program's first 16-0 regular-season record.  The 2019 Bears were also honored with the Valley's Fair Play Award after receiving the fewest penalty cards (7) during MVC play.  Six Bears landed on the All-MVC First Team (Bentley, Creek, Hiebert, Josh Dolling, Ben Stroud, and Stuart Wilkin) while Jack Denton and Ian Jones garnered second-team honors.  Junior Greg Stratton earned an honorable mention nod and Kian Yari represented MSU on the All-Freshman Team.  Additionally, Dolling, Hiebert, and Wilkin were each selected to the MVC All-Tournament team for their performance in leading the Bears to a 10th conference finals appearance.

Tourney Time

• Missouri State hosted an NCAA Tournament match for the first time on Thursday (Nov. 21).  Playing in front of a stadium-record crowd (1,084), the Bears earned their first NCAA Tournament win with a 1-0 win against Denver. MSU is making its fourth appearance--and first since 2009--in the NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament. 
• With Thursday's victory, the Bears are now 1-3 all-time in the national tournament.  Previous trips to the NCAA field have included opening-round matches at Saint Louis (1997, 2009), and at UAB (1999). The UAB game marked the only loss of the year for Leamy's 1999 squad (17-1-3).

Poll Position

• Missouri State dropped back to No. 12 in the latest United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I poll announced on Tuesday (Nov. 19).  After spending the four previous weeks inside the top-10, the Bears 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 Bears have reached as high as No. 9 in the rankings this season, marking 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 ranks inside the top-15 among other polls as well, checking in at No. 12 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings after moving inside the top-10 on Oct. 21.  The Bears also hold the No. 14 and No. 11 spots in the latest TopDrawerSoccer.com and College Soccer News polls, respectively.
• UCF is ranked No. 8 in the latest coaches poll after coming in at a season-best No. 5 spot in last week's poll (Nov. 12).  The Knights have spent five straight weeks inside the top-10.

Going Streaking

• Missouri State's 21-game unbeaten streak breaks the 20-year old record set by the 1999 team  for the longest unbeaten stretch in program history.  The Bears' 1-1 (LU 5-4 PKs) result against Loyola in the MVC Tournament Championship match (Nov. 17) officially goes down as a tie to keep the unbeaten streak intact.  MSU remains the only undefeated team in all of Division I men's soccer.
• The Bears opened the 2019 season by rattling off a program-best 17-straight wins, becoming the first team NCAA Division I team to record a perfect regular season since Akron in 2009.  MSU's 17-game winning stretch (Sept. 2-Nov. 15) is the longest winning streak since that 2009 Akron team won 23 games in a row.  The 17-0 record was the hottest start to a season in Missouri Valley Conference history since the 2001 SMU team opened with 21 straight wins.

Know the Foe

• No. 9-seed UCF (14-2-2) finished as the American Athletic Conference regular-season champions, but fell 1-0 to No. 8-seed SMU in the league championship on Nov. 16.  The Knights are making their second consecutive-and seventh overall-NCAA Tournament appearance after losing out to Lipscomb 1-0 in overtime in the second round of the 2018 tournament.
• UCF carries a top-10 offense that sits seventh in the nation in scoring offense, matching MSU with 42 goals this season.  The Knights are best in the nation in drawing set pieces, leading with 149 corner kicks in 18 matches for an 8.28 per game average.
• Cal Jennings paces the Knights' attack with 16 goals in 2019 to rank for the third most in Division I.  Jennings notched his fourth career hat-trick in UCF's 5-0 win against Temple in the conference semifinals (Nov. 13).  
• Head coach Scott Calabrese is 35-11-7 in his third season at the helm for UCF after previous stints at East Tennessee State (2007-2013) and FIU (2014-2016).  Sunday's match will be his first time taking on Missouri State.

Series History

• The two programs will be playing against each other for the first time on Sunday. 
• MSU is 4-1-1 all-time against Florida schools and is 2-1-0 when playing in the Sunshine State.  The Bears' previous trip ended in a 2-0 loss at USF in the 2015 regular-season opener (Aug. 28).   
• UCF becomes the 98th program head coach Jon Leamy has coached against in his 28-year career at MSU.  He is 47-40-10 when facing a team for the first time.