No. 17 Missouri State (7-2-1, 3-0-1 MVC) vs. Belmont (3-6-3, 0-3-1 MVC)
Date	Saturday, October 12 | 6:00 p.m. CT
Location	Nashville, Tennessee
Site	E.S. Rose Park
Admission	Free
Promotion	Belmont Soccer Tumbler Giveaway
Follow Along	Men's Soccer Home Page | ESPN+ | Live Stats | Game Notes (PDF)
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SPRINGFIELD - Missouri State men's soccer hits the road again for another conference match following its 7-0 victory over Northern Illinois on Sunday. The Bears play the first of two straight matches in Tennessee against the Belmont Bruins on Saturday, Oct. 12 at E.S. Rose Park in Nashville. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. CT. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.

On the Pitch

• Missouri State is coming off back-to-back 12-win seasons under head coach Michael Seabolt, who is in his third season at the helm of the program. MoState has won at least 12 games each season since 2019. 

• Since the beginning of the 2019 season, Missouri State men's soccer holds the best Division I overall record of 78-13-9 (.825), best conference record of 42-2-4 (.917) and third-best home record of 44-6-4 (.852), behind Hofstra (41-4-5, .870) and Cornell (27-3-4, .853). The Bears are tied for the 16th-best win percentage in 2024 (.750).

• Seabolt's 31 career wins as head coach of the Bears are one shy of tying Jan Stahle (32) for third-most in program history. Frank Dinka is second with 33 wins and Jon Leamy leads the way with 309 career victories. 

• MSU has made five straight NCAA appearances, joining Kentucky, Indiana, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, New Hampshire, Georgetown, Marshall and Clemson as the only nine DI teams in the nation to make every tournament since 2019.

• Missouri State is ranked No. 17 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll released on Tuesday. The poll marks the first time the Bears have been ranked this season and the seventh consecutive year Missouri State has been ranked.

• Missouri State is 6-0-1 in its last seven matches after a 7-0 blowout victory over Northern Illinois last Sunday. The match marked the first time the Bears scored seven goals in a match since beating Cal State Northridge by the same score on Sept. 16, 2022 at Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium.

• Senior goalkeeper Will Lowry has three solo shutouts in his five starts. He leads the nation in goalkeeper goals against average (.374), having allowed just two goals in just over 481 minutes of play. 

• Senior forward Jesus Barea is tied for second in the nation with 10 goals this season. Only Akron's Emil Jaaskelainen and Notre Dame's Matthew Roou (11) have more. Barea is in a five-way tie for second that includes MVC-foe Bowling Green's Trace Terry, UMass' Alec Hughes, West Virginia's Sergio Ors Navarro and UC Santa Barbara's Alexis Ledoux.

• Barea leads DI in shots on goal per game (3.20) and his one goal per match is tied for first with four other players. Barea is second in shots per game (4.90) behind Cornell's Alex Harris (5.30) and tied for fourth in points per game (2.20).

• Barea is third all-time in Missouri State history in goals (29) and points (75) and is second in shots (229). He trails Jamal Sutton (2000-03) by seven career shots (236) for the program record.

• MoState is 11th in shot accuracy in DI with 70 of 138 shots being on goal (.507). Missouri State was fourth in that category last season with 124 of 240 shots being on goal (.517). Barea is sixth in DI in individual shot accuracy with 32 of 49 shots being on goal (.653). He was fourth in shot accuracy last year (.604).

• Missouri State's stifling defense has allowed two goals during its seven-match unbeaten streak. The Bears have only allowed 10 shots on goal in that span. MoState is outshooting opponents 138-59 across the season.

Series History vs. Belmont

• The Missouri State Bears and Belmont Bruins go head-to-head for the 11th time overall and the fourth time in Nashville. Missouri State leads the all-time series 6-2-2 and is 1-1-1 on the road against Belmont.

• MoState won the first two meetings in 2000 and 2005 before Belmont won for the first time in 2011 at home. The Bears are 4-0-1 in the last five matchups and have not lost to the Bruins since 2013 in overtime.

• The Bears defeated the Bruins, 1-0, in Springfield last season on Sept. 22, 2023. Forward James Jennings scored the game-winning goal in the 70th minute on his 23rd birthday. Midfielder Tyler Caton and former Bear Jack Denton had assists on the play. Missouri State outshot Belmont in the match, 13-5.

Scouting the Bruins

• Belmont enters Saturday's match 3-6-3 with an 0-3-1 MVC record. The Bruins hold wins against Southern Indiana (Aug. 25), Northern Kentucky (Aug. 19) and DIII Covenant College in its last match on Oct. 8. Belmont had gone winless in its previous eight matches and had lost four in a row before Tuesday. The team's lone draw in conference play came at home against No. 4-ranked Western Michigan.

• The Bruins defeated the Covenant College Scots, 1-0, in what was their first-ever matchup. Belmont's Case Cox scored his first goal of the season and 10th of his career in the 53rd minute to secure the win. The Bruins outshot the Scots, 12-3.

• Belmont is last in the MVC in goals per game (0.833), shots per game (9.33), shots on goal per game (3.25), shot accuracy (.348) and points per game (2.83). Its 3.25 shots on goal per game are seventh-fewest in the nation and its shot accuracy is among the bottom 15 in D1. The Bruins are second in the MVC in corner kicks per game (5.67).

• Five Belmont players combine for the team's 10 goals this season. Senior midfielder AJ Chastonay has scored half the team's goals with five. He scored twice against Northern Kentucky, but has been held scoreless in conference play. Junior forward Kiper Brock is the only other Bruins with multiple goals.

• Goalkeeper Grant Calvert has played every minute for the Bruins at goal this season. He has 30 saves on 15 goals allowed with a career-high three shutouts against Georgia State, Southern Indiana and Covenant College. Calvert has faced exactly 100 shots this season.