SPRINGFIELD -  Missouri State men's soccer will play host to nine regular season matches as head coach Jon Leamy recently finalized his team's 2019 soccer schedule. 
 
Before the regular season begins, the Bears will square off in three exhibition matches which starts with a home match against Missouri S&T on Aug. 17.  For the final two friendlies, the team travels to Creighton on Aug. 21 and Saint Louis on Aug. 24. 
 
MSU opens up the regular season at home with a matchup against Kansas City on Thursday, Aug. 19 at Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium.  The Bears will then head out west to face-off against Santa Clara on Sept. 2, followed by another match versus the Roos on Sep. 7 in Kansas City.
 
The Bears return home for a three-game stretch, beginning with former MVC foe Central Arkansas on Sept. 10 and a matchup against Tulsa on Sept. 14.  The conference slate gets underway with a midweek game against Valparaiso on Sept. 18.
 
Conference play will feature home and home matchups this year as teams will play conference opponents twice throughout the season.
 
"We are excited for the new conference schedule this year," Leamy says. "We haven't done that in a long time so that's going to be really great."
 
Missouri State closes out the month of September with trips to Loyola Chicago (Sept. 22) and Western Illinois (Sept. 26).  The Bears wrap up their non-conference schedule with a home match against UNO on Oct. 1.
 
MSU heads back out on the road to face Evansville on Oct. 5, before hosting back-to-back matches against Bradley (Oct. 9) and Drake (Oct. 13).  The Bears travel to Peoria to play Bradley on Oct. 19, followed by a home match versus Evansville on Oct. 26.
 
A midweek matchup at Valparaiso (Oct. 30) wraps up the month of October for the Bears.  The final home match of the regular season will be held on Nov. 3 against Loyola Chicago.  The regular season wraps up for the Bears on the road at Drake on Nov. 9.
 
The MVC Tournament is set to be hosted by Loyola on Nov. 13-17 in Chicago.  The Bears advanced to the semi-final round in last year's tournament where they fell to the eventual champion Central Arkansas in penalty kicks.
 
The Bears return 12 letterwinners from last year's 9-2-6 (2-2-2) squad with four of them earning all-conference honors last season. 
 
Entering his 28^th season with Missouri State, head coach Jon Leamy has an overall record of 262-184-65 and is 94-70-23 in conference play.