SPRINGFIELD - No. 15 Missouri State men's soccer (9-2-1, 4-0-1 Missouri Valley Conference) seeks its sixth consecutive double-digit win season in a battle for the top of the MVC standings against Bowling Green (9-2-2, 3-1-1 MVC) on Sunday, Oct. 20 at Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. CT. Admission is free and fans can receive a free headband by attending.
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 80-13-9 (.828), best conference record of 43-2-4 (.918) and third-best home record of 44-6-4 (.852), behind Hofstra (42-4-5, .873) and Cornell (27-3-4, .853). The Bears are tied for the sixth-best win percentage in 2024 (.792).
- Seabolt earned his 33rd career win as head coach of the Bears on Tuesday against Memphis to tie Frank Dinka for third-most in program history. He passed Jan Stahle (32 wins) on Tuesday. Jon Leamy leads with 309 career wins.
- 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. 15 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll released last Tuesday. The ranking moved the Bears up two spots. Missouri State has been ranked at one point in seven consecutive seasons.
- Missouri State is 8-0-1 in its last nine matches after a 3-1 road victory over Memphis on Tuesday. Senior defender Harry Jolley scored his first goal as a Bear in the 34th minute. Senior forward Jesus Barea scored twice in the second half to earn his fourth brace of the season and fifth of his career.
- Barea is tied for second in the nation with 12 goals this season along with Notre Dame's Matthew Roou and UC Santa Barbara's Alexis Ledoux. Only Akron's Emil Jaaskelainen (14) has more.
- Barea leads DI in shots on goal per game (3.00) and is fourth in shots per game (4.58) behind Cornell's Alex Harris (5.17) and Jaaskelainen (4.85) and Dayton's Joseph Melto Quiah (4.60). Barea is tied for second in goals per match (0.91) with Roou. Barea is tied for third in points per game (2.17) and total points (26) with Harris.
- Barea is third all-time in Missouri State history in goals (31) and points (79) and is second in shots (235). He trails Jamal Sutton (2000-03) by just one career shot (236) for the program record. Barea's 12 goals this season are tied for the sixth-most in a single season at Missouri State.
- MoState is 12th in DI in shot accuracy with 78 of 157 shots being on goal (.497). Missouri State was fourth in that category last season (124-of-240; .517). Barea is sixth in DI in individual shot accuracy with 36 of 55 shots being on goal (.655). He was fourth in shot accuracy last year (29-of-48; .604).
- Senior goalkeeper Will Lowry has three solo shutouts in his seven starts. He is second in the nation in goalkeeper goals against average (.544), behind Marshall's Aleksa Janjic (.500). Lowry has 10 saves in just over 661 minutes of play.
- Missouri State's stifling defense has allowed four goals during its nine-match unbeaten streak. The Bears have only allowed 15 shots on goal in that span. MoState is outshooting opponents 157-76 across the season.
Series History
- The Missouri State Bears and Bowling Green State Falcons go head-to-head for the third time overall and the first time ever in Springfield. The Bears won both previous matchups in 2000 and 2023.
- The Bears opened their 2000 season against the Falcons at the Creighton Diadora Classic in Omaha. Missouri State won the match, 2-1.
- Bowling Green joined the Missouri Valley Conference as an affiliate member last season and hosted Missouri State for the first time as conference foes on Oct. 27, 2023 at Cochrane Stadium. The Bears defeated the Falcons, 5-2, thanks to goals from five different players including two current Bears, Barea and junior forward Ollie Bate.
Scouting the Falcons
- Bowling Green enters Sunday's match 9-2-2 with a 3-1-1 MVC record. The Falcons started the season 3-0, including a 1-0 win at Michigan State. Its only two losses this season are to Michigan and UIC. Bowling Green has also tied Northern Kentucky and Drake in its last outing.
- In that draw against Drake, Bowling Green earned its fourth shutout of the season and held Drake to nine shots, one shot below its team average. The Falcons had three corner kicks and are tied for third in the conference in corner kicks per game (5.31).
- Bowling Green leads the MVC in shots per game (14.62) which is 26th in the nation. It is second in the league in shots on goal per game (6.31) only trailing Missouri State (6.50). The Falcons are 12th in the nation in assists per match (2.462) and third in the MVC behind Western Michigan (3.286) and Missouri State (2.5). Bowling Green has the most fouls in the MVC, committing a league-leading 175 and 13.46 per game.
- Eight Bowling Green players combine for the team's 28 goals this season. Junior forward Trace Terry leads the team with 10 goals this season, second in the league to Barea and tied for seventh in the nation. Sophomore forward Bennett Painter has nine goals, good for third in the league. He scored one of two goals Bowling Green scored on Missouri State last season.
- Goalkeeper Brendan Graves has played every minute for the Falcons at net this season. He earned his fourth shutout of the year against Drake and the 15th of his career. He has 47 saves on 14 goals allowed.
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