No. 15 Missouri State (12-3-3, 6-1-1 MVC) vs. (16) No. 22 Stanford (9-3-5, 3-2-5 PAC-12)
Date	Sunday, Nov. 19 | 7:00 p.m. CT
Location	Stanford, California
Site	Maloney Field at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium
Tickets	tickets.gostanford.com
Follow Along	ESPN+ | Live Stats | NCAA Tournament Bracket
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SPRINGFIELD - The No. 15-ranked Missouri State men's soccer team (12-3-3) continues its postseason run as it makes the cross-country trip to California to play against No. 22-ranked and No. 16-seeded Stanford (9-3-5) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, November 19 at 7:00 p.m. CT. The game can be watched on ESPN+.

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 opened the 2023 NCAA Tournament by defeating the Summit League Champion Omaha Mavericks 1-0 at home to secure their third-ever NCAA Tournament win. Missouri State is looking to make its second-ever Sweet 16 after making it for the first time in Spring 2021.

• Freshman defender Mattia Petricca scored the lone goal in the first round in the 19th minute on a header from a corner kick from MVC Freshman of the Year Tyler Caton. It was Petricca's first career goal on Caton's third career assist. 

• Missouri State men's soccer holds the best DI overall record of 71-10-8 (.843), best conference record of 39-2-3 (.920) and fourth-best home record of 40-5-4 (.857) since the beginning of the 2019 season. The Bears are tied for the 12th-best win percentage in 2023 (.750).

• The Bears are ranked No. 15 in the Week 11 United Soccer Coaches Poll. Stanford is ranked No. 22, but has the No. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament, giving the Cardinal the final first-round bye.

• 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 advanced from the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

• Sophomore forward 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 second round of the NCAA Tournament sixth in the country in shot accuracy with 117 of 229 shots being on goal (.511). Missouri State has outshot opponents 229-117 through 18 games and is tied for 19th in DI with a 29-11 goal differential (+19). The Bears average 6.50 shots on goal per game, good for 17th in the nation. 

• Senior forward Jesus Barea is sixth in the country in shot accuracy with 27 of his 46 shots being on goal (.587). Barea is tied for third in the Missouri Valley Conference with three game-winning goals and is second in the MVC in shots on goal per game (1.50), good for tied for 27th in the nation.

• Senior goalkeeper Harry Townsend has allowed nine goals (with one being on a penalty kick) in 1,440 minutes. Townsend is tied for fifth in the nation in total shutouts (9). He had 12 shutouts last year which was tied for first. In 2023, he is tied for 25th in save percentage (.786), fourth in goalkeeper goals against average (.562) 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 18 games. The Bears are second in the country in fewest goals allowed (11), only behind Bryant (6), who was eliminated in the first round. Missouri State is tied for fifth in the country in shutout percentage (0.556) and is third in team goals against average (0.611), only behind SIUE (.600) and Bryant (.297). Both teams were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.

• 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. 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 (8.61), only behind Boston College (8.12) and fellow MVC opponent Belmont (8.56). 

Series History

• The Missouri State Bears and Stanford Cardinal will play for the first time when they meet in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament on Sunday, November 19, 2023. Missouri State is 2-2 all-time against current PAC-12 teams, most recently playing Washington in the Sweet 16 in Spring 2021 in a 2-0 loss.  

Scouting the Cardinal

• The Stanford Cardinal (9-3-5) enter the 2023 NCAA Tournament as the No. 16 seed, earning them the final seed to get a first round bye and go straight to the second round. Stanford earned its ninth consecutive top-16 seed in the tournament.

• The Cardinal last played on November 11 in its regular season finale when it defeated California 2-1 in a battle for third in the PAC-12 standings. 

• Stanford is tied for 19th in the nation in total goals scored (37) across 17 games. It is tied for fifth in the country in total assists (47) and fourth in assists per game (2.76). Sophomore midfielder Zach Bohane is tied for third in the nation with 10 assists. The Cardinal have been solid at creating set pieces, currently tied for 20th in the country by averaging 6.18 corner kicks per game.

• The Cardinal are tied for 13th in goal differential (+21), up two goals on Missouri State.

• Out of 202 qualified teams, Stanford averages the second most fouls per game in the nation (15.35). Only IUPUI averages more fouls per game (17.05). Stanford's 261 fouls are the 13th-most in Division I.