SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State men's soccer (5-0-0) extended its perfect season with a 3-1 win over conference foe Valparaiso (1-4-1) here on Wednesday afternoon at Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both squads.
 
It didn't take long for the Bears to get on the board as Stuart Wilkin gave MSU the early 1-0 lead in the 5th minute.  Wilkin received a pass from MVC Offensive Player of the Week Josh Dolling outside the box and fired a shot for his first goal of the season. 
 
A few minutes later, Ian Jones extended the Bears' lead to 2-0 with his goal from the left side of the box.  Will Osgathorpe set up Jones on the goal, playing a ball in to the senior forward and Jones was able to dribble around a Valpo defender to find the back of the net.
 
The Crusaders cut the deficit in half with a goal in the 32nd minute as Michael Cushing scored against a Bears' defense that leads the Missouri Valley Conference with just two goals allowed on the season.
 
Senior Matthew Bentley provided an extra cushion for the MSU lead, scoring his first goal as a Bear in the 63rd minute to seal the 3-1 win.
 
The Bears' attack kept the Crusaders goalkeeper busy with eight of their 13 shots coming towards goal.  Dolling led MSU with three shots in the match, followed by Wilkin and Nicolo Mulatero with two apiece.  Osgathorpe and Aadne Gikling Bruseth each tallied their second assists of the season for the Bears.
 
"We got off to a great start today with the two early goals and were able to come away with a big conference win", said head coach Jon Leamy.  "The guys have worked hard to establish themselves and where they want to be at the end of the season."
 
Missouri State heads back out on the road for a match against Loyola on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 1:00 p.m. in Chicago.