Thursday, August 31
Kansas City, Mo. / Durwood Soccer Stadium
7:30 p.m.
Missouri State University
at
Kansas City
No. 18 Men’s Soccer Rides Momentum to Kansas City
August 30, 2023 | Men's Soccer
| No. 18 Missouri State (1-0-0) vs. Kansas City (0-1-1) | |
| Date | Thursday, Aug. 31 | 7:30 p.m. CT |
| Location | Kansas City, Missouri |
| Site | Durwood Soccer Stadium |
| Tickets | kcroos.evenue.net |
| Follow Along | Summit League Network | Live Stats |
| Missouri State | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook |
SPRINGFIELD - No. 18 Missouri State men's soccer (1-0-0) will be back in action following its massive season-opening win against then-No. 14 Maryland last week. The Bears continue their three-game road trip to start the season against the Kansas City Roos (0-1-1) on Thursday, August 31 at 7:30 p.m. CT.
Kansas City enters Thursday's game 0-1-1 with a 4-0 loss to Utah Valley and a 0-0 draw to MVC school Bradley (1-0-1) last week. The Roos host the Bears for their home opener in what will start a four-game homestead. Kansas City will also play Drake (0-2-0) following Thursday's game to complete a three-game stretch of Missouri Valley Conference teams on its schedule.
Head-to-Head Series
Missouri State and Kansas City meet for the 28th time in history dating back to 1987. The Bears won that first matchup 7-1 in Springfield and won the first five matchups in the all-time series by a combined score of 19-3. Missouri State is on a six-game winning streak against Kansas City and has not lost to the Roos since 2010. The Bears lead the all-time series 21-4-2 with 11 shutout victories and a 9-3-1 road record.
Notes:
- Missouri State is fresh off of defeating No. 14 Maryland 1-0 in College Park, defeating the Terrapins for a second time. The Bears have not lost a season-opener since 2017.
- The Bears' 1-0 start to the 2023 season came thanks to a goal from Jack Denton, who rocketed his fourth career goal with an assist from Tyler Caton in his college debut.
- Missouri State is ranked No. 18 in the United Soccer Coaches and College Soccer News Week 1 Polls. The Bears received eight votes in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll but are now ranked for the sixth-straight season going back to 2018.
- In the last game between the Bears and the Roos in 2021, MSU won 5-1 at home with two goals from active players Jesus Barea and Kian Yari. Jon Koka also contributed with an assist.
- Goalkeeper Harry Townsend earned his third career MVC Defensive Player of the Week Award after he played all 90 minutes against No. 14 Maryland. A strong Bears defense held the Terrapins to two shots and one shot on goal that Townsend saved. It was Townsend's 15th career shutout, which is sixth in program history. Townsend was tied for a nation-leading 12 shutouts last season with Duke goalkeeper Eliot Hamil.
- Missouri State currently boasts 24 international players on the roster. The only two American-born players on the team are goalkeepers Will Lowry (Roeland Park, Kansas) and Jonathan Kliewer (Grand Rapids, Michigan).
- Since 2019, Missouri State is 45-0-0 when scoring two or more goals. The last time the Bears scored two goals and lost was on Nov. 9, 2018, in the MVC Semifinals vs. No. 1 seed Central Arkansas when the Bears lost in penalty kicks.
- After starting last season with eight consecutive home games, Missouri State is in the middle of a three-game road trip to start the season. After Kansas City, the Bears will conclude the trip against Tulsa, which was ranked No. 16 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll.
#BearsUnite
Players Mentioned
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