SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State claimed the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship and secured a trip to its second straight NCAA Tournament with a 1-0 victory over Loyola here Saturday at Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium.
 
Playing in front of an electric home crowd, Adrian Barosen's goal in the 76th minute provided all the fireworks for a Bears squad that was looking to add another piece of hardware to their collection after winning the MVC regular-season championship.
 
With today's win, Missouri State captured the program's second MVC Tournament title and joins the 1999 team in winning both the regular-season and tournament championships in the same season.
 
"It's a great day for the team, the athletic department, and for Missouri State University," said head coach Jon Leamy.  "This is a special team and these guys find a way to win and it was awesome getting to celebrate in front of the home fans.  Credit to the guys and the coaching staff of Michael Seabolt, Will Lukowski, and Phil Woods on their hard work all season long, it was special to get to see the all-around team effort rewarded with a championship."
 
The Bears (11-1-0) experienced a hard-fought back-and-forth battle with a Ramblers group that spoiled MSU's perfect regular season just last week (April 8) with a 2-0 result in Springfield. 
 
Loyola (7-4-2) broke out for the game's opening shots, firing off a quick one in the first minute before Bears goalkeeper Michael Creek stepped into action to collect a second shot that landed on target in the 5th. 
 
From there, the first half featured possession-based play with both sides trading advancements and looking to capitalize on counter-strikes.  Jon Koka's last-minute shot attempt, which was blocked by the Loyola defense, brought on the halftime whistle that signaled a scoreless first half of the title bout.
 
As the nation's leader in corner kicks per game, the Bears were held without a corner set-piece in the first half for just the second time this season while the Ramblers earned all three of theirs in the opening period.
 
It didn't take long for a recharged Missouri State squad to add a few scoring opportunities in the second half.  Four shots and four corner kicks in the first five minutes provided a spark for the MSU attack and put Ramblers keeper Simon Jillson to work as the opposing goalie corralled three saves from the opening bombardment.
 
Entering the final quarter of play, the Bears assault paid off as a ball played into Kian Yari on the edge of the box resulted in the sophomore midfielder sending a low cross through enemy territory that skipped off the head of Nicolo Mulatero and to the foot of Barosen who fired in the title-clinching goal.
 
The freshman defender picked an ideal moment to record his first collegiate goal as his left-footed strike proved to be the game-winner.
 
Loyola looked to match its late-game theatrics from the 2019 championship game where the Ramblers tied the game in the closing minutes, but the MSU defense stonewalled the last-ditch efforts with Creek clutching his final save of the match and ensuring a celebratory ending for the Bears.
 
Dolling and Bruseth led a balanced MSU attack with two shots apiece as six of the team's nine shots came on target while the defense pitched its sixth shutout of the season with Creek recording three saves in the contest.
 
Barosen, Dolling, Mulatero and Kyle Hiebert represented the Bears on the MVC All-Tournament team with Mulatero earning Most Valuable Player honors after assisting on the game-winner in today's match and posting a four-point performance in the semifinal game against Bradley on April 13 with a goal and two assists.
 
For the second straight year, Hiebert was named the MVC Elite 17 winner for men's soccer which recognizes a student-athlete's achievements both on and off the field.  Hiebert, who carries a 4.0 GPA in Accounting, was the 2019 honoree and has started 66 consecutive matches, including all 12 games of 2021.
 
With the automatic bid securing its second straight – and fifth overall – NCAA tournament appearance, Missouri State awaits its seeding for the 36-team field which will be announced on Monday, April 19.  The selection show will begin at 11 a.m. and will be streamed on NCAA.com.