Sunday, October 22
Springfield
3:00 p.m.
Missouri State University
vs
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Western Michigan
Men’s Soccer Hosts Western Michigan for MVC Lead
October 20, 2023 | Men's Soccer
| No. 10 Missouri State (8-1-3, 4-0-1 MVC) vs. Western Michigan (10-1-3, 4-0-1 MVC) | |
| Date | Sunday, Oct. 22 | 3:00 p.m. CT |
| Location | Springfield, Missouri |
| Site | Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium |
| Promotion | Alumni/Homecoming Weekend |
| Follow Along | ESPN+ | Live Stats |
| Missouri State | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook |
SPRINGFIELD - The No. 10-ranked Missouri State men's soccer team (8-1-3, 4-0-1) has the stage set for its most pivotal game so far this season when the newly-added MVC-affiliated Western Michigan Broncos (10-1-3, 4-0-1) ride into town for what will be a battle for the top of the Missouri Valley Conference standings, a clear path to the conference regular season title and a chance to host the MVC Tournament next month.
The Bears and Broncos are set to kick off on Sunday, October 22 at 3 p.m. CT. Before the game, there will be an alumni tailgate at the Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium parking lot from 1:15 p.m. leading up to kickoff. Admission is free and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Notes:
- Missouri State men's soccer holds the best DI overall record of 67-8-8 (.855), best conference record of 37-1-3 (.939) and second-best home record of 38-4-4 (.870) since the beginning of the 2019 season. Only Georgetown (43-3-6, .885), has a better record in that span. The Bears are tied for the 12th-best win percentage in 2023 with Georgetown (.792).
- The Bears are ranked No. 10 in the Week 8 United Soccer Coaches Poll, up six spots from No. 16 where Missouri State was last week. The team has been in the top 25 for eight straight weeks and in the top 10 in four of the last five weekly polls.
- Missouri State is riding a two-game winning streak, winning both games by a score of 2-1 against Omaha and Evansville.
- Before its most recent winning streak, the Bears were shut out in back-to-back games against Memphis and UIC. That was the first time Missouri State did not score a goal in consecutive games since the final two games of the 2018 regular season in a scoreless draw against Drake and a 1-0 loss against Central Arkansas.
- The Bears' precision offense is tied for fourth in the nation with fellow MVC school Belmont in shot accuracy with 77 of 148 shots being on goal (.520). Missouri State has outshot opponents 148-51 through 12 games and is tied for 20th in DI with a 19-5 goal differential (+14), which is second in the conference behind Western Michigan (+20). The Bears are also second in the conference in shots on goal per game (6.42), good for tied for 15th in the nation while Western Michigan is tied for 18th in the country (6.36).
- Jesus Barea is fourth in the country in shot accuracy with 16 of his 24 shots being on goal (.667). He is tied for third in the conference with three game-winning goals and sixth in shots on goal per game (1.33), good for 52nd in the nation.
- Sophomore forward Gijs Hovius leads the Bears with four goals this season, securing the lead with his third-minute goal against Evansville on Wednesday. Senior forward Jon Koka scored his third goal of the season against the Purple Aces. All three of his goals have come in the last five games, including back-to-back games.
- Senior goalkeeper Harry Townsend has allowed five goals (with one being on a penalty kick) in 1,080 minutes. Townsend is tied for third in the nation in total shutouts (7), 16th in save percentage (.800), third in goalkeeper goals against average (.417) and is a two-time MVC Defensive Player of the Week this season.
- Missouri State's defense has also been strong, only allowing four live goals in its first 12 games, including just one conference goal. The Bears are second in fewest goals allowed (5), only behind Bryant (3). Missouri State is fourth in the country in shutout percentage (0.583) and is second in team goals against average (0.364). Bryant leads both categories.
- Since 2019, Missouri State is 49-0-0 when scoring two or more goals. The last time the Bears scored two goals and lost was Nov. 9, 2018, in the MVC semifinals vs. No. 1 seed Central Arkansas when Missouri State lost in penalty kicks.
- Missouri State has played clean soccer and is third in the nation in fewest fouls per game (8.17), only behind Boston College (8.07) and Pittsburgh (8.15). The Bears are the only team in the nation with less than 100 fouls (98).
Series History
- Missouri State leads the all-time series with Western Michigan 2-0-0 going into the third matchup between the two and first as conference rivals. Both previous games were played at neutral sites with the most recent being in Omaha, Nebraska on September 5, 2004 where Missouri State won 1-0. The first-ever matchup in the series came on October 4, 1991 with the Bears coming out on top 4-2.
- The two games played against Western Michigan are the second-fewest Missouri State has played against a current MVC team. The Bears own a 1-0-0 record against another new MVC affiliate in Bowling Green, who Missouri State will play following the Broncos.
Scouting the Broncos
- The Western Michigan Broncos enter Sunday afternoon's game 10-1-3 on the season with a 4-0-1 record in MVC play, tied atop of the conference standings with Missouri State. Western Michigan is 4-1-2 on the road with its lone loss of the season coming against No. 12 Vermont. Since then, the Broncos are on a program-record 13-game unbeaten streak and hold a ranked win against No. 20 UIC. Western Michigan went 16-3-2 last season, took the final MAC Tournament Championship and made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament before moving to the MVC.
- The Broncos have outscored opponents 32-12, scoring tied for the sixth-most goals by a team this season and are tied for 8th in Division I in goal differential (+20). Western Michigan leads the country in assists per game (3.29) and total assists (46). The Broncos are also tied for 12th in the nation in goals per game (2.29), tied for fourth in corner kicks per game (7.21) and tied for third in total red cards (4).
- Western Michigan is led by a two-headed monster up front with graduate student forward Dylan Sing and senior forward Charlie Sharp, both of whom made the Preseason All-MVC Team. Sing and Sharp lead the MVC with 12 and nine goals, respectively. Sing's 12 goals are tied for second in the nation while Sharp sits tied for 19th. Sing has scored in nine of the last 10 games. The Broncos also have three players in the top 29 in the nation in total assists. Sophomore midfielder Carson Hodgson and redshirt junior defender Jonathan Robinson lead the team with eight assists and graduate forward Tom Cooklin has six. All three players are in the top four in assists in the MVC.
- The Broncos have a top-tier goalkeeper between the net with graduate student Ethan Brandt, who has played all but 13 minutes this season as he was pulled late in Western Michigan's 5-0 rout against Oakland. Brandt is tied with Townsend for third-most shutouts in the nation with seven. He is also tied for 29th in the country in save percentage (.786) and 33rd in goalkeeper goals against average (.866). Brandt and Townsend are in the top two in goals against average, shutout percentage and save percentage in the MVC.
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