SPRINGFIELD - Following a hard-fought 1-1 draw against the Saint Louis Billikens Wednesday night, No. 9-ranked Missouri State men's soccer (5-0-2. 2-0-0 MVC) returns to MVC play against the Bradley Braves (4-1-4. 0-1-1 MVC) in the back half of a two-game road trip on Saturday, September 30 at 7:00 p.m. CT. The Bears look to continue a streak of 3-0 conference starts that has lasted since 2019 in a rematch of last season's MVC Tournament semifinal.
Notes
- Missouri State men's soccer holds the best DI overall record of 64-7-7 (.865), best home record of 37-3-3 (.895) and best conference record of 35-1-2 (.947) since the beginning of the 2019 season. The Bears have the sixth-best win percentage in 2023 (.857).
- The Bears look to continue their dynastic run, coming off a fourth-straight Missouri Valley Conference regular season title and third consecutive MVC Tournament championship. The Bears have made the NCAA Tournament four years in a row.
- Missouri State was picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference in the 2023 Preseason Poll coming in with 78 votes and six first-place votes. This year's poll marked the fourth season in a row that league coaches selected the Bears to win the conference.
- Missouri State is ranked No. 9 in the United Soccer Coaches Week 5 Poll for the second straight week. This marks the sixth time in program history that the Bears have been in the top 10. Their highest ranking was No. 3 in 2000.
- College Soccer News put Missouri State at No. 8 in its Men's Soccer Top 30 Poll for the week ending on September 23. They are joined by fellow MVC teams UIC at No. 27 and Western Michigan which received votes.
- The Bears remained undefeated following a 1-1 draw with Saint Louis Wednesday night. Junior defender Michael Peck scored his first collegiate goal in the 35th minute to tie the game. Sophomore forward Gijs Hovius and junior forward James Jennings got their first and second assists of the season respectively.
- The Bears' precision offense is tied for 32nd in the nation in shot accuracy with 39 of 80 shots being on goal (.488). Missouri State has outshot opponents 80-23 in its first seven games and is tied for 34th in the DI in goal differential (+7).
- Senior midfielder Jack Denton and senior forward Jesus Barea are both tied for 19th in the nation in game-winning goals (2). Each has scored in consecutive games throughout the year. Denton scored in the first two games against then-No. 14 Maryland and Kansas City. Barea has scored in back-to-back games against VCU and Northern Illinois.
- Jesus Barea is second in the nation in shot accuracy with 10 of his 13 shots being on goal (.769). He is also tied for 23rd in shots on goal per game (1.67). Barea is also tied for fifth in the MVC in shots on goal per game (1.43).
- Senior goalkeeper Harry Townsend allowed just his first goal during live play and second goal all season against Saint Louis in 630 minutes of play. Townsend is third in the nation in goalkeeper goals against average (0.286), tied for 14th in save percentage (.833), tied for fourth in total shutouts (5) and is a two-time MVC Defensive Player of the Week this season (Aug. 29 and Sept. 26).
- Missouri State's defense has also been strong, only allowing one live goal in its first seven games against Saint Louis. The other goal was on a penalty kick against Tulsa. The Bears are tied for second in the nation in fewest goals allowed, as San Diego St. is the only team not to allow a score. Missouri State is third in the country in shutout percentage (0.714) and team goals against average (0.29).
- Since 2019, Missouri State is 46-0-0 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 a clean brand of soccer and is third in the nation in fewest fouls per game (7.71), only behind Pittsburgh (7.56) and American University (6.71). Bradley is 39th at 10.33 fouls per game.
Head-To-Head Series History
- Going into the 47th matchup, Missouri State leads the all-time series against Bradley with a record of 33-9-4. The Bears come into Saturday's matchup riding a 13-game winning streak against the Braves going back to 2016.
- The last time Bradley defeated Missouri State was on October 17, 2015 in Peoria, 4-0. The win was the largest margin in a result in series history, but since then the Bears have outscored the Braves 27-3.
- The most recent meeting was in the 2023 MVC Tournament semifinals where the Bears advanced to the title game with a 2-0 win. Current Bears Kian Yari and Jon Koka scored and were part of an offense that outshot Bradley 30-1.
- The Bears have shut out the Braves in five straight games with the last Bradley goal against Missouri State coming on April 13, 2021 also in the MVC Tournament semifinal of the 2020-21 season.
Scouting the Braves
- The Bradley Braves enter Saturday night's game 4-1-4 on the season, with all four of their ties coming at home. Bradley started its conference slate with a 3-1 loss against new MVC affiliate Bowling Green last Saturday. The Braves own wins against Chicago State, DePaul, Eastern Illinois and Western Illinois.
- The Braves have outscored opponents 12-7 over their nine games. The seven goals allowed are the second-fewest by an MVC team, with Missouri State leading the way with just two goals allowed. Both are the bottom two MVC teams in saves, with Bradley at 21 and Missouri State at 10. Bradley has been outshot by opponents 93-92 so far this season.
- Bradley's 12 goals have come from eight different scorers, led by junior forward Jamaine "Kevin" Mejias' three goals in seven appearances. He scored the game-winner in the season opener against Chicago State, the first of four goals against Western Illinois and a 5th-minute goal against SIUE. Mejias is tied with Jack Denton and Jesus Barea with two game-winning goals, tied for second in the MVC.
- The Braves lead the Bears when it comes to shot accuracy as Bradley sits 18th in the nation with 49 of 97 shots being on goal (.505). Missouri State is 31st at 39 of 80 shots being on goal (.488).
- Bradley has had two goalkeepers play this season. Sophomore Drew Barry has played five games with eight saves on five goals allowed. In four games, junior Alex Grow has 13 saves on two goals allowed.
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