SPRINGFIELD – Sophomore forward Jesus Barea's goal in the 34th minute gave the Missouri State men's soccer team the early advantage Thursday night against UC Santa Barbara, but the Gauchos battled back and tied the Bears in the second half. The Bears' season opener ultimately ended in a 1-1 stalemate.
"I'm super proud of the guys. The scoreboard is going to show that we got one point tonight, but we played in a way that deserved three points," Seabolt said. "We are going to get three points on Sunday."
Barea led the way for the Bears offensively, scoring the only MSU goal of the night and registering three shots, putting all of them on goal. Senior forward Aadne Bruseth assisted Barea's goal, and forwards Nicolo Mulatero and James Jennings both accounted for two shots apiece.
In the 76th minute, a foul drawn by junior defender Gianluca Fiorini inside the box awarded the Bears with a penalty kick. Mulatero's shot found the net, but the officials negated the goal.
The teams proved to be evenly matched throughout the contest, with MSU narrowly leading UCSB in shots, 9-8. Both goaltenders mirrored each others' performance, with Harry Townsend saving three shots, the same as UCSB's Leroy Zeller.
"Ultimately, this was a great game to boost our RPI, and it will positively affect us in the long run," finished Seabolt.
Next up, the Bears will host UC Irvine in their second match of an eight-game home stand on Sunday evening. The match will kick off at 7 p.m. and broadcast on ESPN+.
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