Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Missouri State

Team Huddle

Men’s Soccer MVC Tournament Central

April 12, 2021

By: MSU Athletics Communications
No. 1 Missouri State Bears (10-1-0) at MVC Tournament
MVC Tournament Central MVC-Sports.com
Semifinal Defeated Bradley, 3-1
Box Score | Recap
Championship Saturday, April 17 | 2:00 p.m. | vs. No. 3 Loyola
Location Springfield, Mo.
Site  Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium (Free Admission) | 2021 Fan Guide
Follow Along Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | MSU Game Notes
Missouri State Men's Soccer Home Page | Record Book | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Quick Kicks
  • Missouri State is making its 25th Missouri Valley Conference Tournament appearance after claiming the conference regular-season title and earning the No. 1 seed for the second straight season.  MSU is 18-20-7 all-time in MVC Tournament play and has advanced to the championship game 11 times with the Bears claiming the league's tournament title in 1999.  The Bears are 1-8-1 in championship matches.
  • As the 2020-21 champions, MSU secured the program's ninth overall Missouri Valley Conference regular-season crown and its sixth championship in the past 10 years.  It marked the second straight year the Bears won seven or more conference games after last year's squad, who also earned a regular-season title, became the first MVC program to go 10-0-0 in conference play.  The Bears had their 17-game regular-season conference winning streak snapped in a 2-0 loss to Loyola on April 8.
  • Missouri State garnered nine all-conference selections, won four specialty awards and placed two players on the All-Freshman team as the MVC announced its postseason honors on Thursday (April 15). Aadne Bruseth, Josh Dolling, Kyle Hiebert, and Kian Yari all made the first-team ballot. Michael Creek, Greg Stratton, Connor Langan and Jack Denton earned a spot on the second team while newcomers Adrian Barosen and Jesus Barea were named to the All-Freshman team. Mulatero was selected as Forward of the Year and Hiebert received his second straight Defensive Player of the Year accolade. The Missouri State coaches were recognized as MVC Coaching Staff of the Year.
  • The MSU attack features a relentless charge in their offensive half, leading the nation in corner kicks per game (9.45) with 104 corner set-pieces in 11 matches.  The Bears lead the MVC - and rank 22nd nationally - in scoring, averaging 2.09 goals per outing with 23 goals in 2021.  Missouri State leads the league in goals (23), assists (23), shots per game (14.27), and shots on goal per game (6.82).
  • Nicolo Mulatero (Jr., F, Givoletto, Italy) paces the Bears offense with his seven goals and seven assists in his junior campaign.  He has recorded two multi-goal outings this season with a pair of goals against both Drake (March 22) and Evansville (March 30).  The Italian forward leads the MVC in points (17), goals (7), assists (7) and game-winners (3).  He is the first MSU player to record seven or more goals AND assists in the same season since Danny May totaled eight apiece in 2004.
  • Michael Creek (Sr., GK, St. Louis, Mo.) has started all 11 matches in goal, logging 987:59 goalie minutes and securing five shutouts for the MSU defense this season.  His five clean sheets in 2021 - which ranks 12th among Division I keepers - gives him 18 for his career to rank fourth on the program's career shutout list.  Creek earned MVC Goalkeeper of the Year in 2019 after finishing the season with seven shutouts and a 0.645 goals against average that ranked ninth in the nation.
  • Aadne Bruseth (Jr., F, Batnfjordsøra, Norway) is second on the team in points with 13 for the season.  He scored a goal in three straight matches, finding the back of the net against Loyola (March 26), Evansville (March 30) and Central Arkansas (April 3).  Prior to his scoring binge, the Norwegian forward began his incredible four-game stretch with a three-assist performance against Drake on March 22.  He added his fifth assist of the year in the win against the Purple Aces on March 30. 
  • Josh Dolling (Sr., F, Liverpool, England) recorded his first goal of 2021 by capping MSU's four-goal outing at Evansville (March 30) with a header in the 86th minute.  As a reigning United Soccer Coaches All-American, Dolling has 19 shots on the year with 11 of them coming on target.  His 22 career goals is tied for seventh with Heath Melugin (2008-11) on Missouri State's all-time scoring list. 
Know the Foe (Championship)
  • Loyola (7-3-2, 5-2-1 MVC) advanced to the championship match after a 4-1 rout at Drake in the semifinal round on April 13. The four-goal outburst was the most goals scored in a conference semifinal since Creighton won 4-0 over Vanderbilt in 2005. Prior to the semifinal match, the Ramblers snapped MSU's 25-game regular-season winning streak with a 2-0 result in Springfield on April 8.
  • The Ramblers are led by Valley Player of the Year, Billy Hency who has totaled 16 points on six goals and four assists this season. Hency and defender Tyler Biggs joined the five-player MSU contingency on the All-MVC first-team ballot. Michael Hong, Fabian Becerra and Marc Torrellas earned second team all-conference honors. The Loyola defense owns a league-best .584 goals against average and have held opponents scoreless in six matches this season. Simon Jillson has logged 704:49 minutes in goal, including the full-90 of his shutout performance against the Bears, and has collected 22 saves in 2021.
  • Head coach Neil Jones is 73-48-24 in his eighth season at the helm for the Ramblers. He has a 5-6-3 record against Missouri State which includes a 1-2-1 ledger when facing the Bears in the MVC Tournament.
Series History (Championship)
  • Missouri State leads the all-time series 8-5-3 against Loyola, including a 3-2-1 record when playing in Springfield.
  • The two teams split the season series after each side picked up three points in their road contests. The Bears clinched their MVC regular-season championship with a 2-0 victory at Loyola on March 26 before falling 2-0 to the Ramblers in the regular-season finale last week (April 8). This will be the second straight MVC Championship meeting between the two clubs after playing to a 1-1 draw in 2019 before the Ramblers went on to win the tournament title on penalty kicks.
  • Head coach, Jon Leamy is 7-5-3 against LUC, and is 2-1-1 when facing the Ramblers in the MVC Tournament.
Know the Foe (Semifinal)
  • Bradley (2-6-2) is making its 23rd MVC Tournament appearance where the Braves hold a 21-16-7 overall record.  They have won the championship on three occasions (2007, 2010, 2013) and are the only current Valley team to win multiple regular-season and tournament titles with four regular-season crowns included in their program's history as well.
  • The Braves played to a 1-1 draw with non-conference opponent Western Illinois on April 8 in their regular-season finale.  Jake Schoffstall scored his first goal of 2021 against the Leathernecks for his fourth points of the season after tallying two assists versus Loyola on March 31.  Along with Schoffstall, seven other players have recorded a goal this year for a balanced BU attack that averages 8.50 shots per game.  Bryce Logan has played all 950:31 goalie minutes for the Braves and collected a league-best 48 saves, including an eight-stop outing versus the Bears on March 18. 
  • Jim DeRose is in his 25th season as the head coach for the Braves and owns a 252-197-56 overall record.  His 80 league wins ranks second all-time in the Valley behind Leamy's 111.  DeRose has battled the Bears four times in MVC Tournament matches and won his third tournament title on a 1-0 result versus the Bears in 2013.
Series History (Semifinal)
  • Missouri State leads the all-time series 27-9-4 against Bradley with the Bears winning seven straight matches, including a sweep of the 2021 season series with a 3-0 result on Feb. 27 and a 1-0 overtime win on March 18.   MSU's rivalry with Bradley (40) is second only to the 41 matches played against Tulsa.
  • The Bears are 14-4-2 in home contests against the Braves and are undefeated (5-0-0) at Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium.  The two teams have faced each other in the MVC Tournament four times where the Bears own a 2-1-1 advantage.  MSU defeated Bradley 2-1 in overtime on Nov. 14, 1999 to claim its first MVC Tournament Championship. 
  • Head coach Jon Leamy has been at the helm for 36 of the 40 matches in the series, boasting a 23-9-4 record against the Braves.  Leamy has led the program to all 25 of its Valley tournament appearances.
Tourney Time
  • Missouri State is making its 25th Missouri Valley Conference Tournament appearance after claiming the program's ninth regular-season title and earning the No. 1 seed in this year's Valley Championship. MSU is 18-20-7 all-time in MVC tournament play, advancing to at least the semifinal round in five consecutive seasons.
  • The Bears have been to the conference championship game 11 times and clinched their tournament title in a 2-1 overtime win against Bradley on Nov. 14, 1999.
  • Since the '99 title, the Bears have fell in seven consecutive championship matches, including last season's double-overtime draw with Loyola that was decided on penalty kicks (Nov. 17, 2019).
 #BearsUnite
Print Friendly Version

Sponsors