ST. LOUIS – The Missouri State men's soccer team garnered 10 all-conference selections, won four specialty awards and placed one player on the All-Freshman team as the Missouri Valley Conference announced its postseason honors Thursday.
Following its third regular season conference championship in as many years MSU collected four of the league's eight specialty awards with Kyle Hiebert earning his third-straight conference defender of the year accolade. In addition, Kian Yari took home more hardware as well, as the 2021 MVC Midfielder of the Year. The men's soccer coaching staff of head coach Jon Leamy, head coach designate Michael Seabolt, and assistants Phil Woods and Drew Crawford also received recognition from the conference, receiving their third-straight Valley Coaching Staff of the Year award.
Missouri State was also selected as the MVC's Fair Play Award winner after receiving the fewest penalty cards (9) during all MVC matches this season.
Hiebert (La Salle, Manitoba, Canada) becomes the first-ever MVC player to win three-straight Defensive Player of the Year awards. The senior has made 83 starts in his career, appearing in 84 games. This season, he has anchored a strong backline to eight shutouts, a 15-1 record, and a third-straight regular-season conference championship. Hiebert has also netted three goals for the Bears this season and added four assists.
Yari (Manchester, England) has had a standout junior campaign resulting in his first-ever MVC Midfielder of the Year recognition. He receives the award after making 15 starts this season and appearing in all 16 regular-season games. Yari leads the team with eight assists and has added two goals so far in 2021. The midfielder also leads the team in corner kicks so far this year.
Bruseth (Batnfjordsøra, Norway) scored one goal this season and added four assists over the Bears 16 matches. The senior makes his way onto the first team for the second straight year after starting 14 matches and appearing in all of them.
Dolling (Liverpool, England) makes his way onto the first team for the fourth time in his career becoming just the second player in league history to earn a spot on the first-team four separate times. He joins Bradley's MVC Hall of Famer Gavin Glinton (1998-2001). The forward has been instrumental in the Bears' offensive success this season helping them to their national best 13-straight wins. The senior has added three goals this season, assisting four others. All three of his goals were game-winners, as he extended his hold on the MSU record to 16 in his career.
Mulatero (Givoletto, Italy) was the third forward to earn first-team honors, making the team in spring 2021 as well. He has three goals of his own this season while adding two assists. Mulatero is part of a strong offensive attack that has seen the Bears reach 20th in the nation for scoring offense.
After being named to the MVC All-Freshman team following the spring 2021 season, Jesus Barea (Cadiz, Spain) earns second-team accolades this year. The sophomore has netted four goals this season, adding one assist. One of Barea's goals this season was the golden goal in MSU's double overtime win against Loyola Chicago.
Defender Connor Langan (Petersfield, England) makes his way on to the first team this season after earning a second team selection in the spring. Langan has been a force in the backfield for the Bears. Langan has started 14 of 16 games this season, appearing in all of them. He added one assist against Drake.
Along with Hiebert and Langan, Stratton (Marietta, Ga) and Creek (St. Louis, Mo.) represented the veteran Bears defense on the all-conference list with their second-team distinctions. Stratton has appeared in all of MSU's matches this season, making 14 starts. His three goals and one assist give him second-team honors for the second year in a row. Creek also earns his second-straight second-team nod after playing 14 full matches in the box. The defensive selections helped boost the Bears to eight shutouts and a No. 7 national ranking for goals against average during the regular season.
In his debut season with the Bears, Peck (Cornwall, England) has stepped in as a consistent backup and multi-game starter to earn a spot on the conference's All-Freshman team. He has made six starts this season, appearing in 15 games and logging a total of 630 minutes throughout the regular season.
After leading the program to its third-straight regular season MVC championship with an undefeated conference mark (10-0), the Bears coaching staff collects its third straight – and fifth overall – Coaching Staff of the Year honor. Prior to the award switching its recognition to "coaching staff" in 2006, Leamy, who is the league's winningest coach with 307 career victories, was named Coach of the Year in 1995, 1997, and 1999.
With the long list of Valley honors in tow, top-seeded Missouri State (15-1-0, 10-0-0) will host No. 6 seeded Bradley in the second game of the MVC semifinals on Friday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. at Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium. Admission to the championship match is 10 dollars for adult tickets, five for children, and free to college students with a valid student I.D. Live stats and a live stream (ESPN+) of the match are available at MissouriStateBears.com.
