Missouri State (5-1-3, 0-0-1) vs. Illinois State (2-3-2, 0-0-1)/Belmont (1-5-3, 0-0-1)
Date	Thursday, September 21 | 7:00 p.m. / Sunday, September 24 | 1:00 p.m.
Location	Springfield, Mo.
Site	Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium
Follow Along	Live Stats | Watch (Illinois State) / Live Stats | Watch (Belmont)
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The Missouri State women's soccer team is back at home Thursday and then again on Sunday for a pair of games to open the conference season at home.

The Bears (5-1-3, 0-0-1 MVC) have been on the road for the past two weeks to finish out the nonconference season against Missouri and start the conference season against Murray State. Last time MSU took to the pitch, the Bears walked away with a 0-0 draw against Murray State.

Illinois State leads the Bears 23-8-9 all-time. The last time the two teams met was last year's regular season finale. The Redbirds won 4-2.

After a meeting with the Redbirds, the Bears will turn their attention to Belmont in a battle of the Bears. Belmont has not made the trip to Springfield since joining the Missouri Valley Conference in 2022. MSU leads the Bruins 4-1-0 all-time.

Kickoff will be at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday and 1:00 p.m. on Sunday at Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium. Live stats will be available, and both games will be streamed on ESPN+.
Notes

• The is the 41st meeting between the Redbirds and Bears. ISU leads 23-8-9 all-time. Of MSU's eight victories, four have been at home in Springfield.
• The last time MSU beat Illinois State was on 10/26/2017 when the Bears outscored the Redbirds 2-0.
• MSU leads Belmont 4-1-0. The Bears have never lost to the Bruins at home.
• Gracie English continues to lead the Bears' offensive efforts with four goals and 22 shots.
• English is making appearances in the national ranks. Currently, she is tied for 12th in the country in game-winning-goals (three) and 41st in shot accuracy with a shot percentage of 63.6%.
• English is second in the MVC in shot accuracy.
• On the defensive side of things, Camielle Day is also making appearances in the national stat books. With four shutouts, Day is tied for 32nd nationally and first in the MVC.
• Day was recently named the Missouri Valley Conference Goalkeeper of the Week (Sept. 20).
• Jenna Anderson leads the team in minutes played. With 810 total minutes possible at this point in the season, she has played 806.
• The Bears are ranked 47th in the country in shot accuracy and third in the MVC.
• With a won-lost-tied percentage of .722, the Bears are tied for 53rd nationally and first in the MVC.