Final Stats | Season Stats   

SPRINGFIELD – Led by goalkeeper Michael Creek, the 10th-ranked Missouri State Men's soccer team (11-1-0, 6-0-0) muscled out a defensive battle here Sunday afternoon, to defeat SIU Edwardsville, 1-0, and remain unbeaten in Missouri Valley Conference play.  

The win was the senior goalkeeper's third clean sheet of the season, helping keep the Cougars at bay while the visitors put three shots on goal during the 90-minutes of regulation.   

"Shutouts always feel good," said Creek after the match. "It's always on my mind, I'm always trying to work toward that."   

Both teams came out of the gates strong, the Bears firing off seven shots in the first period while the Cougars took four of their own. With nothing to show for their efforts, both teams remained scoreless at the break.   

MSU continued to look for scoring opportunities early in the second half when the opportunity arose at the 58-minute mark. Off an assist from Kian Yari, Greg Stratton tapped the ball off the left goal post, and got the favorable bounce into the back of the net to give the Bears the 1-0 lead and the senior his third goal of the season    

The remaining minutes were spent like the first, both teams unable to activate any more offense. The gritty defensive performance and lone goal were enough, though, as the Bears held onto their lead as time ran off the clock.   

Ultimately, MSU held the advantage over SIUE (4-7-2, 2-4-0) in shots, 15-5, and shots on goal, 4-3.     

The win pushed the Bears to 8-0 at home this season and extended their home winning streak to 11 games.     

"It was just a great win for homecoming week," said head coach designate Michael Seabolt. "Football and volleyball got wins and we did too, so we'll all just keep moving forward."    

Missouri State will now hit the road for a two-game conference trip to Evansville and Drake. The action begins at Evansville on Saturday, Oct. 23 at 5 p.m.  
 

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