KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Five Missouri State men's soccer players were selected as United Soccer Coaches All-West Region honorees that were voted on by member coaches within the region, the organization announced on Monday (Dec. 9).
 
Matthew Bentley, Josh Dolling, Kyle Hiebert, and Stuart Wilkin received first team distinctions while Michael Creek earned a spot on the second team.
 
As the Missouri Valley Conference's Offensive Player of the Year, Bentley led the team and the league in goals (15), points (34), and game-winning goals (6).  The senior forward closed out MSU's perfect 16-0 regular-season run with an eight-game scoring streak.  He totaled 11 goals during that span which included a trio of multi-goal performances against Evansville (Oct. 5), Bradley (Oct. 9), and Valpo (Oct. 30).  Bentley's 2019 season marks put his name in the MSU history book, tying for the most game-winners in a season while ranking second in goals and third in total points.  He was named a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist last week (Dec. 3) which is the most coveted individual honor in NCAA Division I soccer.
 
Dolling collects back-to-back All-Region honors after a second team selection in 2018.  The junior from Liverpool, England followed up his breakout sophomore season by scoring four straight game-winning goals for MSU to open the 2019 campaign.  He totaled 19 points on seven goals and five assists to rank in the top-5 among Valley players in those respective categories.  Dolling, who made All-Conference first team, was selected to the MVC All-Tournament Team after scoring the game-winner in the Bears' 1-0 win over Drake in the semifinals.
 
Hiebert, a three-time All-West region honoree, started all 20 matches for MSU this season to extend his streak of 54 consecutive starts.  He anchored the Bears' backline that was one of the best in the nation with a 0.632 goals against average.  He also chipped in four points for the Bears' attack with a goal and two assists.  Hiebert was tabbed the Valley's Defensive Player of the Year while also earning All-MVC first team laurels for an MSU team that allowed just nine goals in its perfect 10-0 conference record.  The redshirt junior adds to his list of postseason accolades which includes an MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award and making the CoSIDA Academic All-American First Team.
 
Wilkin, a four-year starter, earns his first All-Region selection after appearing in 73 matches during his career as a mainstay in the MSU midfield.  He finished the year in the top-10 in the Valley's offensive categories with career-highs in points (14), goals (5), assists (4), shots (38), and shots on goal (14).  Wilkin, a senior from Surrey, England, was chosen as MVC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 24 after scoring in back-to-back matches including the game-winner in overtime at Loyola (Sept. 22).  He was rewarded with a pair of postseason honors from the MVC with selections to the All-Conference First Team and the All-Tournament Team.   
 
Creek made all 20 starts in goal for the Bears this season while becoming one of the top goalkeepers in the nation.  He allowed just 13 goals in his 1813:14 minutes played for a 0.646 goals against average which ranks eighth nationally.  Creek posted seven clean sheets in the 2019 campaign to give him 13 career shutouts which ties him for fifth on MSU's all-time list.  He was selected as the MVC's Goalkeeper of the Year, becoming the second Missouri State player to earn the award in the past three seasons.  The junior from St. Louis, Mo. joined teammate Hiebert on the CoSIDA Academic All-American First Team.   
 
Missouri State finished the season with a program-best 18-1-1 record and won its first-ever NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament match.  The Bears, who posted their first 16-0 regular-season mark, claimed the club's eighth MVC regular-season championship.