Men’s Soccer Drops MVC Title Game After Late Broncos Goal

Saturday, November 11

Kalamazoo, Mich. / WMU Soccer Complex

12:00 p.m.

Missouri State University

11-3-3, 6-1-1

Western Michigan

15-1-3, 7-0-1

Team	1	2	Final F
Missouri St.	0	1	1
Western Mich.	1	1	2

Men’s Soccer Drops MVC Title Game After Late Broncos Goal

November 11, 2023 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The No. 15-ranked Missouri State men's soccer team (11-3-3) suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 loss in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship game to the No. 16-ranked Western Michigan Broncos (15-1-3). The Bears broke through in the 84th minute to tie the game, but the Broncos quickly brought the energy back into WMU Soccer Complex with the game-winner in the final 90 seconds.

The loss snaps Missouri State's streak of three straight MVC championships, while Western Michigan wins its second straight conference title as they won the Mid-American Tournament in 2022.

"Congrats to Western Michigan," head coach Michael Seabolt said. "They're a very good team and will make a great NCAA Tournament team. I'm proud of our guys. I thought we played very well on the road. We put ourselves in a position to win the game."

Western Michigan took control from the start with senior forward Charlie Sharp picking up where he left off in the semifinal against Northern Illinois with a goal off a corner kick in the 13th minute. Redshirt junior Jonathan Robinson set up the ball in a place where only Sharp could get it.

The Broncos continued on unmoved from the crucial goal by limiting the Bears to just two shots in the first half.

Missouri State rushed to get the equalizer before Western Michigan could settle back in after the goal. However, the Bears were caught offside a season-high six times, all of which were in the first half. The Bears had only been called offside an MVC-low 16 times all season entering the game.

The toughest instance of an offside call was in the 38th minute when the Bears had an apparent goal called back.

The Bears got a needed reset in the second half, matching the Broncos' physicality that is required in big games like these. The teams traded fouls back and forth early in the half before Missouri State sophomore goalkeeper Jonathan Kliewer made a pair of strong saves within a minute.

Kliewer got the start at net again after his shutout in the MVC semifinal against UIC to debut his time as a Bear. He made five saves against one of the strongest offenses in the country.

"Jonathan was excellent all week," Seabolt said. "I'm proud of his performance. He stepped up in a big way. The whole team was incredibly committed to defending well."

The Bears turned on the afterburners sometime after the start of the second half. Junior defender and All-MVC second-teamer Michael Peck got the Bears' first shot on goal in the 69th minute. Missouri State fired 13 shots in the last 45 minutes and outshot Western Michigan 15-14 to continue the season-long streak of not being outshot by opponents.

The intensity from the first 80 minutes boiled over as both teams sensed a conference title.

Senior Jack Denton, the reigning back-to-back MVC Midfielder of the Year, made the equalizer in the 84th minute off a corner kick from senior Alejandro Lopez. Broncos goalkeeper Ethan Brandt knocked the corner up into the air for Denton to make a lunging kick to tie the match.

"It was an awesome goal," Seabolt said. "It was a team goal. The team worked so hard to get in that position and [Jack] finished it off. It was disappointing that we weren't able to capitalize on that goal by winning the match."

The Western Michigan combination of Robinson and Sharp was too quick for the game to go to extra time. Robinson found Sharp on a running pass and Sharp knocked in his second goal of the season in the 89th minute.

Sharp earned a brace in both of Western Michigan's tournament games and was named Tournament MVP.

Freshman midfielder Tyler Caton, senior forward Jesus Barea and sophomore forward Gijs Hovius were named to the MVC All-Tournament Team.

"The mindset of the players in the locker room was great," Seabolt said. "They are ready to go and they're ready for the next game. They're going to get over this one quickly and we're going to get to work and get this team prepared to get a result at home in Springfield. I believe we are going to be at home and the team believes we are going to be at home. We are going to get ready and represent to play in front of our fans and win a game to advance in the NCAA Tournament."

Missouri State will await its postseason future with the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Monday, November 13 at noon CT. Western Michigan earns an automatic bid to the tournament awarded to the conference champion. The first round of the tournament will be played on Thursday, November 16 at campus sites. The selection can be watched on NCAA.com.

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