#2 Missouri State (11-2-3, 6-1-1 MVC) vs. #1 Western Michigan (14-1-3, 7-0-1 MVC)
Date	Saturday, Nov. 11 | 12:00 p.m. CT
Location	Kalamazoo, Michigan
Site	WMU Soccer Complex
Game	Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championship
Follow Along	ESPN+ | Live Stats | Championship Central
Missouri State	Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

SPRINGFIELD - The No. 15-ranked Missouri State men's soccer team (11-2-3) heads to its fifth consecutive Missouri Valley Conference championship game as it goes head-to-head against the tournament host No. 16-ranked Western Michigan Broncos (14-1-3) for an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, November 11 at noon CT at WMU Soccer Complex.

Notes

• Missouri State men's soccer holds the best DI overall record of 70-9-8 (.851), best conference record of 38-2-3 (.919) and fourth-best home record of 38-5-4 (.851) since the beginning of the 2019 season. The Bears have the 10th-best winning percentage in the nation this season (.781).

• The Bears enter its fifth straight MVC Tournament Championship game looking to win its fourth straight title. Only Creighton (1992-95) has ever won four straight MVC Tournament Championships.

• The No. 2 seed Missouri State defeated No. 3 seed UIC 1-0 in the conference semifinals on November 8 thanks to another early-game goal from sophomore forward and All-MVC second team player Gijs Hovius. He leads the Bears with six goals this season. Hovius' last three goals have come in the opening 10 minutes of a game.

• The Bears are ranked No. 15 in the Week 11 United Soccer Coaches Poll, staying in the same spot as Week 10. The team has been in the top 25 for 11 straight weeks and has been as high as No. 9 this season. The highest Missouri State has ever been ranked was No. 3 in 2000.

• Missouri State enters the title game having won five of its last six games. The only loss in the scratch was against the Western Michigan Broncos in Springfield on October 22, just 20 days before the title game.

• The Bears went 6-0-2 on the road throughout the regular season and will be playing for a championship against the host team of Western Michigan.

• The Bears' precision offense leads the nation in shot accuracy with 111 of 208 shots being on goal (.534). Missouri State has outshot opponents 208-79 through 16 games and is tied for 20th in DI with a 28-9 goal differential (+19), which is second in the conference behind Western Michigan (+30). The Bears lead the conference in shots on goal per game (6.94), good for 11th in the nation. 

• Senior forward Jesus Barea leads the country in shot accuracy with 27 of his 40 shots being on goal (.675). Barea is tied for first in the conference in shots on goal per game (1.69) with Western Michigan's Charlie Sharp, good for 17th in the nation. Barea is also third in the conference with three game-winning goals.

• Sophomore goalkeeper Jonathan Kliewer made his Bears debut in the semifinal against UIC. The 2021 Horizon League Goalkeeper of the Year earned three saves, including one on a penalty kick, for his ninth career college shutout. Kliewer is a transfer from Detroit Mercy and a Grand Rapids, Michigan native, less than an hour from Kalamazoo.

• Senior goalkeeper Harry Townsend has allowed nine goals (with one being on a penalty kick) in 1,350 minutes. Townsend is tied for fifth in the nation in total shutouts (8), tied for 41st in save percentage (.769), seventh in goalkeeper goals against average (.600) and is a two-time MVC Defensive Player of the Week this season.

• Missouri State's defense has also been strong, only allowing eight live goals in 16 games, including just five goals from conference opponents. The Bears are second in the country in fewest goals allowed (9), only behind Bryant (5). Missouri State is tied for fourth in the country in shutout percentage (0.562) and is third in team goals against average (0.643). Bryant leads both categories. 

• Since 2019, Missouri State is 51-0-0 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 fifth in the nation in fewest fouls per game (8.62), behind Boston College (8.12), Indiana (8.53), Belmont (8.56) and Pittsburgh (8.56). The Bears have committed tied for the second-fewest fouls in the nation (138).

Series History

• Missouri State leads the all-time series with Western Michigan 2-1-0 going into the fourth matchup between the two and second as conference rivals. The first two games were played at neutral sites with the more recent of the two being in a tournament hosted by Creighton 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. Missouri State's Tait Einerson earned a hat trick in that game.

• Western Michigan handed Missouri State its only conference loss of the season 2-1 on October 22 in Springfield, snapping a 29-match Valley unbeaten streak going back to April 8, 2021 against Loyola Chicago. This will be the first time that both teams will be nationally ranked against each other.

Scouting the Broncos

• The No. 16-ranked Western Michigan Broncos enter the MVC Championship game 14-1-3 on the season and won the MVC Regular Season Championship with a 7-0-1 conference record. The Broncos are currently on a program-record 16-game unbeaten streak, winning 13 of those games.

• The top-seeded Broncos defeated the No. 5 seed Northern Illinois Huskies 3-1 in overtime in their semifinal match Wednesday afternoon. NIU took the lead in the 62nd minute, but Western Michigan continued firing an onslaught of shots to finally tie it in the 82nd minute. The pressure continued into overtime as the Broncos added two more. Western Michigan took 40 shots, tied for the most in an NCAA game this season.

• Western Michigan senior forward Charlie Sharp scored two goals against Northern Illinois to become the program's all-time leading scorer with 36 career goals. He is tied for ninth in the nation with 13 goals this season. 

• The Broncos had a league-leading five All-MVC first team players, including goalkeeper Ethan Brandt. Brandt is tied with Harry Townsend with eight shutouts this season, doing so in three more games. Brandt is 21st in the nation in save percentage (.791). He had one save on one goal allowed in the semifinal against Northern Illinois.