Wednesday, November 8
Kalamazoo, Mich. / WMU Soccer Complex
10:00 a.m.
Missouri State University
vs
UIC
Men’s Soccer Takes On UIC in MVC Semifinals
November 07, 2023 | Men's Soccer
| #2 Missouri State (10-2-3, 6-1-1 MVC) vs. #3 UIC (11-4-3, 4-2-2 MVC) | |
| Date | Wednesday, Nov. 8 | 10:00 a.m. CT |
| Location | Kalamazoo, Michigan |
| Site | WMU Soccer Complex |
| Game | Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Semifinal |
| Follow Along | ESPN+ | Live Stats | Championship Central |
| Missouri State | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook |
SPRINGFIELD - The No.15-ranked Missouri State men's soccer team (10-2-3, 6-1-1) has reached the Missouri Valley Conference semifinals for the eighth straight season after earning the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye. The Bears will play the No. 3 seed UIC Flames (11-4-3, 4-2-2) on Wednesday, November 8 in Kalamazoo, Michigan for a chance to play for a conference title on Saturday.
Notes
- Missouri State men's soccer holds the best DI overall record of 69-9-8 (.849), 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 have the 11th-best win percentage in 2023 (.767).
- 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 will play No. 3 seed UIC (11-4-3, 4-2-2) on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 10:00 a.m. CT. The MVC title game is on Saturday, November 11 at 12:00 p.m. CT against either No. 1 Western Michigan or No. 5 Northern Illinois.
- The Bears are ranked No. 15 in the Week 10 United Soccer Coaches Poll, up three spots from last week. The team has been in the top 25 for 10 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 ended the regular season on a high note by defeating Drake 2-0 on Senior Day. Junior defender Pedro Arcoverde scored in the sixth minute and senior forward Jesus Barea scored in the 84th minute.
- Barea scored his fifth goal of the season, tying him for the most goals on the Bears with sophomore forward Gijs Hovius. Arcoverde earned his first career MVC Defensive Player of the Week Award on November 2.
- Gijs Hovius also leads the Bears with five goals this season. He added to his total in the fifth minute against Bowling Green. Hovius has scored in the opening five minutes of the last two of the last three Missouri State wins.
- The Bears enter the MVC Tournament leading the country in shot accuracy with 104 of 196 shots being on goal (.531). Missouri State has outshot opponents 196-72 through 15 games and is tied for 20th in DI with a 27-9 goal differential (+18), which is second in the conference behind Western Michigan (+28). The Bears lead the conference in shots on goal per game (6.93), good for 10th in the nation.
- Jesus Barea is tied for the best shot accuracy in the country with 25 of his 36 shots being on goal (.694), tied with Western Michigan's Dylan Sing. Barea is tied for third in the conference with three game-winning goals and leads the MVC in shots on goal per game (1.67), good for tied for 19th 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 fourth in the nation in total shutouts (8), tied for 42nd in save percentage (.769), fifth 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 its first 15 games, including just five conference goals. The Bears are second in the country in fewest goals allowed (9), only behind Bryant (4) Missouri State is tied for seventh in the country in shutout percentage (0.533) and is fourth in team goals against average (0.600). 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 second in the nation in fewest fouls per game (8.40), only behind Boston College (8.12). The Bears have committed the least total fouls in the nation (126).
- The Bears look to continue their dynastic run, entering 2023 with three consecutive MVC Tournament championships. The Bears have made four straight NCAA Tournaments and are making their eighth straight MVC semifinals appearance and 23rd overall.
Series Histories
UIC: Missouri State leads the all-time series 3-0-1. The two teams battled to a scoreless draw on October 8 in Springfield, they will now meet in the MVC Tournament exactly one month later. Both teams were nationally ranked during the regular season matchup. This is UIC first ever MVC semifinal.
Western Michigan: Missouri State leads the all-time series 2-1-0. Western Michigan defeated the Bears 2-1 in Springfield on October 22. The teams were tied for the MVC lead at the time, but the Broncos scored two goals within a minute to come from behind to take the MVC lead and never relinquished it.
Northern Illinois: The all-time series is tied 2-2. Missouri State defeated Northern Illinois in DeKalb 3-0 on September 16 in each team's first conference game of the season. The previous meeting between the two was in 1999, the same year Missouri State won its first MVC Tournament.
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Players Mentioned
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