Final Stats | Season Stats
CHICAGO, Ill. – A 90-minute battle saw the No. 11 Missouri State men's soccer team (15-1-0, 10-0-0) finish off its regular season with a 2-1 victory over Loyola Chicago to stay undefeated in the Missouri Valley Conference and extend its national-best win streak to 13 games.
"Loyola is a very good team and gave us everything we could handle tonight," said head coach designate Michael Seabolt."
MSU came out of the gates quick, pushing the offensive pace in the early minutes. MSU fired off six shots in the first half while the Ramblers took three of their own. However, no shots found the back of the net and the teams entered the locker rooms with no points on the scoreboard.
The second half was a different story. Early into the final 45 minutes of regulation, the Bears struck first as Jesus Barea found the back of the net off assists from Nicolo Mulatero and Kian Yari in the 48th minute. The goal was the sophomore's fourth of the year, and his second against the Ramblers this season.
With the 1-0 lead, the Bears attacked again. In the 56th minute, senior Josh Dolling netted his third goal of the season with help from Barea, to extend MSU's lead to 2-0.
The Ramblers didn't go down easily though, as a scuffle in the box at the 65-minute mark resulted in a penalty kick for Loyola. Ramblers senior forward Billy Hency took the kick, launching it past Michael Creek to bring the score within one.
The rest of the match was a back-and-forth battle, with both sides pressing on the offensive front. The Bears added three shots in the second half while the Ramblers added five more of their own. As minutes ran off the clock, MSU's defense held strong, maintaining its 2-1 lead to give the Bears their 10th conference win of the season.
"It's our goal every week to keep improving and to leave it beyond question that we're one of the top teams in the NCAA," continued Seabolt. "Winning our league with 10 wins and no losses is that kind of statement."
Following tonight's win, the Bears have now won 19 of their last 22 on the road and 27 and their last 28 conference matches, dating back to 2019.
Now, the Bears return home to host the semifinal round of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. MSU will play either the four-seed, Evansville, or the five-seed, Drake, on Friday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m.
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