Thursday, November 16
Springfield
6:30 p.m.
Missouri State University
vs
Omaha
Bears Prepare for Rematch Against Omaha In NCAA Tournament
November 14, 2023 | Men's Soccer
| Missouri State (11-3-3, 6-1-1 MVC) vs. Omaha (8-7-4, 3-3-2 Summit League) | |
| Date | Thursday, Nov. 16 | 6:30 p.m. CT |
| Location | Springfield, Missouri |
| Site | Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium |
| Tickets | missouristatebears.com |
| Follow Along | ESPN+ | Live Stats | NCAA Tournament Bracket |
| Missouri State | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook |
SPRINGFIELD - The Missouri State men's soccer team (11-3-3) continues its postseason after it was selected to be among the 48-team field for the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The Bears will open their fifth consecutive tournament against Summit League Tournament Champion Omaha (8-7-4) on Thursday, November 16 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets will be $15 for adults and $5 for children. Missouri State students will be able to redeem a free ticket with their BearPass ID at the ticket tent at the main entrance to the field.
Notes
- Missouri State is making its fifth straight NCAA appearance, joining Kentucky, Indiana, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, New Hampshire, Georgetown, Marshall and Clemson as the only nine teams in the nation to make every tournament since 2019.
- The Bears open the 2023 NCAA Tournament hosting the Omaha Mavericks (8-7-4) for a rematch of their regular season meeting on October 11 that Missouri State won 2-1. The teams will now meet again 36 days after the first meeting.
- Missouri State men's soccer holds the best DI overall record of 70-10-8 (.841), best conference record of 39-2-3 (.920) and fourth-best home record of 39-5-4 (.854) since the beginning of the 2019 season. The Bears are tied with Duke for the 19th-best win percentage in 2023 (.735).
- The Bears are ranked No. 15 in the Week 11 United Soccer Coaches Poll, the same spot as the last week. 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 earned the No. 2 seed in the 2023 MVC Tournament, giving the Bears a first-round bye and sending them to the semifinal round. The Bears defeated UIC 1-0 to reach the final, where they ultimately lost to Western Michigan 2-1 on November 11. Both Missouri State and Western Michigan represent the MVC as first-round hosts.
- Senior midfielder Jack Denton scored the equalizer in the MVC final in the 84th minute, but Western Michigan scored in the 89th minute to snap Missouri State's streak of MVC championships at three.
- Gijs Hovius leads the Bears with six goals this season. He added to his total in the 10th minute in the MVC semifinal against UIC. Hovius' last three goals have come in the opening 10 minutes of a game.
- The Bears enter the NCAA Tournament sixth in the country in shot accuracy with 114 of 123 shots being on goal (.511). Missouri State has outshot opponents 223-93 through 17 games and is tied for 21st in DI with a 29-11 goal differential (+18). The Bears average 6.71 shots on goal per game, good for 13th in the nation.
- Jesus Barea is second in the country in shot accuracy with 27 of his 44 shots being on goal (.614), only behind CSUN's Jamar Rickett's (.622). Barea is tied for third in the conference with three game-winning goals and is second in the MVC in shots on goal per game (1.59), good for tied for 22nd in the nation.
- Senior goalkeeper Harry Townsend has allowed nine goals (with one being on a penalty kick) in 1,350 minutes. Townsend is tied for sixth in the nation in total shutouts (8), tied for 41st in save percentage (.769), sixth in goalkeeper goals against average (.600) and is a two-time MVC Defensive Player of the Week this season.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Jonathan Kliewer played all 90 minutes in both MVC Tournament games, recording eight saves on two goals allowed. He made his Bears debut less than an hour away from his hometown of Grand Rapids in the semifinal. The Detroit Mercy transfer earned his ninth career shutout, stopping a penalty kick in the 26th minute.
- Missouri State's defense has also been strong, only allowing 10 live goals in 17 games. The Bears are third in the country in fewest goals allowed (11), only behind Bryant (5) and SIUE (10). Missouri State is tied for sixth in the country in shutout percentage (0.529) and is fourth in team goals against average (0.647). 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 did not win 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 tied for fourth in the nation in fewest fouls per game (8.71), only behind Boston College (8.12), Belmont (8.56), Pittsburgh (8.56) and tied with Jacksonville and St. Bonaventure. The Bears have committed tied for the sixth-fewest total fouls in the nation (148).
Series History
- The Missouri State Bears and Omaha Mavericks will play each other for the sixth time with the Bears leading the series 4-0-1. The only tie was in a 2-2 double overtime draw on October 28, 2015.
- This is the second time the two teams have met this season at Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium. Missouri State defeated Omaha 2-1 on October 11 for each team's final nonconference game of the season. Senior forward Jon Koka scored in the 15th minute for his second of three goals this season on an assist from Gijs Hovius. Omaha responded less than two minutes before halftime with junior midfielder Junior Casillas scoring his sixth goal of the season. Senior forward Jesus Barea scored one of his three game-winning goals off an assist from sophomore forward Ollie Bate in the 76th minute to give the Bears their seventh win of the season.
- Three of the first five meetings between both teams have gone to overtime, including the two games played in Springfield prior to this season's regular season bout. Missouri State is 2-0-1 in those games and has outscored Omaha 8-3 in the series.
Scouting the Mavericks
- The Omaha Mavericks enter the NCAA Tournament 8-7-4 on the season and sported a 3-3-2 record in the Summit League, good enough to earn the No. 3 seed in the Summit League Tournament held in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Omaha defeated the No. 2 seed and host team Oral Roberts 1-0 in the semifinal thanks to junior forward Mathis Pilon St-Louis scoring his third goal of the season in the 80th minute to end the Golden Eagles' season. The Mavericks secured their second-ever Summit League Tournament title against No. 4 seed Kansas City 2-0. Junior forward Theo Klein scored a penalty kick in the 25th minute to take the lead. Sophomore forward Ede Gramberg sealed the deal with a goal in the 87th minute.
- Junior goalkeeper Nathanael Sallah was named Summit League Tournament MVP for getting a shutout in both games across 10 saves, including seven in the title game. He had six saves against Missouri State in the regular season.
- The Mavericks are the only opponent this season to match the Bears in shots in a game with both teams getting 10 shots off. The 10 shots are the most Missouri State has allowed against a team not named Western Michigan.
- Omaha will be making its third NCAA Tournament appearance and first since the Spring 2021 season. The Mavericks defeated UNC Greensboro 3-2 in the first round that season before losing to Stanford 1-0 in overtime. Coincidentally, the winner of this year's matchup will play No. 16 seed Stanford in the second round on Sunday, November 19 in California.
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Players Mentioned
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