SPRINGFIELD - No. 13-ranked Missouri State men's soccer had multiple opportunities against Saint Louis Wednesday night, but the Billikens defense never broke as the two battled to a scoreless draw after 90 hard-fought minutes.

The match marked the first time the Bears (10-2-2) have been shut out this season, breaking a 22-match streak of scoring at least one goal that dated back to Oct. 8, 2023 against then No. 25-ranked UIC. Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium saw a huge turnout for an in-state rivalry match between two strong teams.

"It was awesome," head coach Michael Seabolt said. "What a great turnout from the city of Springfield and the surrounding areas. It was such a huge crowd tonight. It meant so much to our guys. It was great to partner with Springfield Public Schools and all the people involved in soccer in the community."

The Bears and Billikens (5-2-7) flexed their muscle in the opening third of the match, committing six combined fouls in 29 minutes. The end result saw both teams conclude with an even 12 fouls apiece. 

"SLU is a great team," Seabolt said. "They're really strong this year and don't concede a lot of goals. They made it really tough for us. We appreciate SLU coming down to play us and we wish them good luck the rest of the season."

Missouri State could not find an open shot in the first half. Senior forward Jesus Barea, the nation's leader in shots per game, put up two shots on goal outside the box that were cleanly saved by SLU goalkeeper Jeremi Abonnel. Barea once again was the focal point of the Bears' offense, accounting for seven of the team's 10 shots. 

Senior goalkeeper Will Lowry earned his fourth shutout of the season on four saves split evenly across the two halves. His four stops fell one shy of his career high he had against Creighton in Kansas City. Lowry made a key stop in the 31st minute by keeping a shot right in front of the goal line.

The Bears had the lone corner kick of the first half with just over two minutes on the clock, but the Billikens cleared it out to send the match to halftime with no score. 

Saint Louis came out firing at the start of the second half by putting up two shots in the first seven minutes. The Billikens would only get one more shot off the rest of the match. Missouri State outshot Saint Louis in the second frame, 8-3, with multiple shots coming off rebounded saves that didn't go in. Barea had a shot stopped by a diving Abonnel in the 66th minute, leading to another Barea attempt that went high. Barea had another shot knocked away by Abonnel in the late stages, and sophomore midfielder Adrián Esteban's follow-up shot went wide right.

"There were a number of good chances," Seabolt said. "We just got to put one away. SLU defended really well and made it difficult for us. They pressed really well and our guys handled it really well. We got out in the front half and created those chances and we're super proud of the guys. We just have to finish those chances or create even more."

Missouri State had an opportunity on a breakaway with Abonnel running out of the box to defend a shot. Senior forward James Jennings tried to chip one over the SLU goalkeeper in the 85th, but it went a touch wide to the left.

Four bookings were dealt in the final seven minutes of the match, including a second yellow card on SLU forward Jackson Delkus resulting in an ejection with just over two minutes remaining. The player advantage was not long enough for the Bears to make much happen with it.

"The main thing was not about the red card," Seabolt said. "That's not our focus. It was a hard-fought game and that card came late, but that was the game."

Missouri State extends its unbeaten streak to 11 matches going back to the beginning of September. The Bears will have their longest layoff of the season before looking to extend their Missouri Valley Conference lead on their senior night on Friday, Nov. 1 against Evansville (7-5-2) at Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. Admission will be free.