SPRINGFIELD - The Missouri State women's soccer team hosts Central Arkansas in their season opener on Thursday at 6 p.m. before traveling to Stillwater, Okla. to square off against Oklahoma State on Sunday at 1 p.m. Both matches will be broadcasted on ESPN+.

Missouri State (0-0-0, 0-0-0) vs. Central Arkansas (0-0-0, 0-0-0) | Missouri State at Oklahoma State (0-0-0, 0-0-0)
Dates	Thursday, Aug. 18, 6 p.m. (UCA) | Sunday, Aug. 21, 1 p.m. (OSU)
Location	Springfield, Mo. (UCA) | Stillwater, Okla. (OSU)
Site	Allison South Stadium (UCA) | Neal Patterson Stadium (OSU)
Follow Along	Live Stats, Watch (UCA) | Live Stats, Watch (OSU)
Missouri State	Women's Soccer Home Page | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok

Match Details
The Bears will look the start the season in the win column at home against Central Arkansas (Thursday, 6 p.m.) before traveling to Stillwater, Okla. to face the Cowboys of Oklahoma State (Sunday, 1 p.m.). Both matches will appear on ESPN+.
 
Quick Kicks
•  Missouri State comes off a 5-7-5 mark in 2021 including 2-4-2 in conference play.
•  Senior Isabel Burke (D, St. Louis, Mo.) and sophomore Grace O'Keefe (F, Overland Park, Kan.) were selected to the preseason All-MVC team, announced Tuesday.
•  On top of the eight freshman new to this year's squad, the Bears also added two players via transfer. Gracie English (Jr., F/M, Belleville, Ill, Saint Louis) and Ana Paula Fraiz (So., M, Caracas, Venezuela, Fresno-Pacific) both joined Missouri State this fall.
•     In 2021, Isabel Burke saw the most action of the Bears, starting all 17 matches and racking up 1542 minutes played.
•   Grace O'Keefe racked up the most points last season at 13, accounting for seven assists and three goals in 2021.
•  In the recent MVC preseason coaches' poll Missouri State was picked eighth in the eleven-team league garnering 51 points. Valparaiso was voted the preseason favorite. Previously, Loyola was voted first four years in a row before their departure for the Atlantic 10. Indiana State was voted second with 94 points, right ahead of third place Murray State with 85.
•  The Bears return 16 letterwinners from last year's squad. Seven players are on their last year of eligibility, including Isabel Burke (Sr., D, St. Louis, Mo.), Hannah Peterson (Sr., GK, Kansas City, Mo.), Emma Hensley (Sr., D, Edwardsville, Ill), Kyli Jackson (Sr., D/M, Overland Park, Kan.), Bella Bryson (Sr., M/F, Overland Park, Kan.), Jade Loftness (Sr., M/D, Overland Park, Kan.), and Maddie Augustine (Sr., D, Lincoln, Neb.).
•  The Central Arkansas game marks the first time the Bears opened the season at home since 2018 when Missouri State beat Western Illinois 1-0.
•  Katherine Montgomery (Jr., GK, Geneva, Ill.) is the most experienced goalkeeper returning for MSU. In 2021, she made 14 starts and recorded 66 saves while logging 1441 minutes in the box. Camielle Day also started two matches in net, totaling over 113 minutes on the season.
•  The Bears will look to even up their all-time record in season openers as they currently sit at 12-14-0(.462).
•  Missouri State opened the 2020-2021 season in Conway, AR, falling to the Bears 3-1.
 
The Leader of the Bears
•  Head coach Kirk Nelson took the reins of the Bears on Jan. 1, 2022, after eight seasons as associate head coach. Nelson replaced former Bears' head coach and founder of the MSU women's program Rob Brewer, who retired last season after 26 years. Prior to joining the Missouri State staff, Nelson spent four seasons at the University of Nevada, including one as associate head coach. During his last two seasons in Nevada, Nelson led the Wolfpack to back-to-back Mountain West Conference Tournaments. Nelson also had success as a high school head coach near Phoenix, AZ, spending time at both Mountain Pointe High School and Chandler High School. Nelson racked up 175 wins and competed for a pair of 5A state championships during this time. Nelson is certified as a USSF National "A" License coach, one of the highest coaching certifications given out by the federation and holds both an NSCAA Premier Diploma and a Goalkeeping Diploma.
 
Bears From Abroad
•  The Missouri State women's soccer features three international players on their roster this season. Eydis Helgadottir is from Reykjavik, Iceland (Commercial College of Reykjavik) while Iraia Arrue and Ana Paula Fraiz are from Caracas, Venezuela (both from Colegio Jefferson). Helgadottir is the second player in Bears in program history from Iceland while Arrue is the first and Fraiz is the second Missouri State player to be from Venezuela.
 
Built Some Bears
•  The Missouri State coaching staff has developed quite a pipeline from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park, Kansas in recent years as five alums are on the roster. Bella Bryson, Carly Raunig, Kyli Jackson, Grace O'Keefe and Abby Hansen all played for the Saints. All-time there has been nine Aquinas graduates to take the pitch for the Bears.
 
Know the Foe
•  While Central Arkansas finished last year at a perfectly equal 9-9 mark, they were much better in the Atlantic Sun conference, doubling their losses by wins with a 6-3 record.
•  The Bears were picked sixth in the ASUN preseason poll, an above average mark as the conference features 14 teams.
•   Bears graduate student defender Gracie Hair returns as a key piece for UCA. The 2021 First-Team All-ASUN and 2022 Preseason All-Conference member logged over 60 minutes in all but two matches last season, accounting for two goals and three assists
•  UCA was known for their defense in 2021. The Bears shut out 7 of their 18 opponents, including five clean sheets during conference play.
•  Jeremy Bishop was named the Bears head coach back in 2012. In the past five seasons, Bishop is 53-44-4.
•  The Oklahoma State Cowboys ended 2021 with a 9-6-3 overall record, including a 4-3-1 mark in conference play.
•  While the Cowboys had a losing record on the road (2-4-1) in 2021, they were much better in Stillwater, going 7-2-1 at home.
•  The Cowboys were selected fifth in the Big 12 preseason poll, four places behind first place TCU (seven first place votes).
•  Oklahoma State's midfielder duo of Olyvia Dowell and Grace Yochum were selected to the 2022 Preseason All-Big 12 Soccer Team.
•  Colin Carmichael is the head man at Oklahoma State. Entering his 18th season as head coach, Carmichael has been with the Oklahoma State program since 1996, the year of the team's inception. 
Series History
•  Missouri State is 5-4-0 all-time against Central Arkansas.
•  Missouri State and Central Arkansas played most recently in 2020, squaring off twice in a row. UCA took both matches, resulting in 3-1 and 1-0 (2OT) outcomes.
•  Oklahoma State is 5-2-1 all-time vs Missouri State.
•  The two teams last met in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Soccer Championship. After drawing in regulation, Oklahoma State took the victory in PKs, 3-2.
 
Take A Look Ahead
•  After the weekend's contests, the Bears will come home on Thursday, Aug. 25 to face Southeast Missouri State.