OMAHA, Neb. – The 23rd-ranked Missouri State men's soccer team will play Creighton here Thursday at 4 p.m. in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Match Details
The Bears (12-1-4, 6-0-2 MVC) will play Creighton (9-4-6, 3-3-4 Big East) at Morrison Stadium at 4 p.m. For all the latest information and in-game updates on the Missouri State men's soccer team, visit MissouriStateBears.com or follow @MSUBearsMSoccer on Twitter and Instagram.
Quick Kicks
• The Bears' clinch of the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title was the team's fourth in four years.
• MSU has gone undefeated in regular-season conference play for three out of the past four seasons.
• Harry Townsend was named the 2022 MVC Tournament MVP after leading the Bears' to a 1-0 win over Evansville in the MVC Men's Soccer Tournament title and a 2-0 win over Bradley in the semifinals. Townsend posted a pair of clean sheets in the tournament, notching his 11th & 12th shutouts on the season which leads the NCAA.
• Sunday's shutout was the Bears' 12th of the season, setting a new program record. The team leads the nation in shutout percentage (.706).
• Since 2017, MSU leads the nation in overall winning percentage with a 77-13-14 overall record (.808). The mark is higher than New Hampshire, Georgetown, Indiana and Wake Forest.
• With a 12-1-4 record through its 17 matches, MSU is tied for 6th in the NCAA in overall winning percentage (.824).
• MSU's conference record is 30-1-2 dating back to 2019.
• The Bears have only lost three regular-season matches over 57 games (51-3-4).
• Dating back to 2019, the Bears regular-season road mark is 21-2-2.
• The Bears have produced a high-caliber offense this season. Through 17 matches MSU has scored 37 goals, an average of 2.18 per game. The Bears are also tied for 9th in the NCAA in goal differential, outscoring its opponents 37-9.
• Jack Denton and Kian Yari lead the team in assists this season, tallying five on the year, so far. Nicolo Mulatero tops the team in goals with eight.
• The Bears RPI is 28th in the nation at the end of the regular season.
• Missouri State joins Creighton as the only programs to win back-to-back Valley tournament titles.
• Since the start of the 2019 season, Missouri State is 48-0-0 (1.000) when it scores two or more goals. The team's most recent two-plus-goal game was on Thursday, Nov. 10 when the Bears beat Bradley, 2-0 in the MVC tournament semis.
• Missouri State has surrendered only nine goals all season (T-3rd nationally). Only Western Michigan (7) and Duke (7) have allowed fewer goals this season.
Series History
• The Bears last faced off against the Bluejays in the first round of the NCAA tournament in 2021, ending in a 1-0 win for Creighton.
• Creighton leads the all-time series with MSU with an overall record of 21-9-4.
• The Bluejays hold the home advantage against the Bears with a record of 11-3.
In the Nation
• Shutout Percentage: 1st (0.706)
• Shots on goal per game: 1st (8.41)
• Team GAA: 4th (0.529)
• Winning percentage: 6th (0.824)
• Goal differential: 9th (28), outscoring 37-9
• Save percentage: 12th (0.804)
• Assists per game: 16th (2.35)
• Corner kicks per game: 16th (6.65)
• Scoring offense: 20th (2.18 goals per game)
• Total goals: 27th (37 goals)
Missouri State in the NCAA Tournament
• This is Missouri State's seventh trip to the NCAA Tournament.
• MSU will make its fourth-straight appearance in the tournament this year.
• The Bears made it to the second round in 2019 and appeared in their first-ever
Sweet 16 match in Spring 2021.
• MSU last hosted a tournament game in 2021. They lost, 1-0, to Creighton.
• The Bears overall record in NCAA Tournament games is 2-6-0.
Take a Look Ahead
The winner in Thursday's first-round matchup will head to Seattle to face off against the No. 2 national seed, Washington. The second round of the tournament will be played on Sunday, Nov. 20.
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