No. 17 Missouri State (10-2-2, 5-0-1 MVC) vs. Evansville (8-5-2, 4-2-0 MVC)
Date	Friday, November 1 | 7:00 p.m. CT
Location	Springfield, Missouri | Missouri State University
Site	Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium (1,382)
Admission	Free
Promotion	Senior Night
Bag Policy	Bag Policy - Missouri State (missouristatebears.com)
Follow Along	Live Stats | Game Notes (PDF)
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SPRINGFIELD - Missouri State men's soccer (10-2-2, 5-0-1 Missouri Valley Conference) looks to extend its 11-match unbeaten streak when it hosts Evansville (8-5-7, 4-2-0 MVC) at Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium on Friday, Nov. 1. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. Ten players will be honored for the team's senior night before the match. The list of players includes Pedro Arcoverde, Jesus Barea, Sergio Del Castillo, Pablo Guillen, Daniel Normann, Michael Peck, Daniel Shabani, Harry Townsend, Daniele Verdirosi and Fumiya Shiraishi. Director of Soccer Operations Chase Clausing will also be honored.

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 81-13-10 (.827), best conference record of 44-2-4 (.920) and second-best home record of 45-6-5 (.848), behind Hofstra (42-4-5, .873). The Bears are tied for the ninth-best win percentage in 2024 (.786).

• 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 ranking moved the Bears down four spots from No. 13 the week prior. Missouri State has been ranked in seven consecutive seasons.

• Missouri State is 9-0-2 in its last 11 matches after a 0-0 home draw against Saint Louis last Wednesday. The Bears outshot the Billikens, 10-7, and had five corner kicks while preventing SLU from getting a single corner. 

• Senior forward Jesus Barea is third in the nation in total goals this season (13). Only Akron's Emil Jaaskelainen (20) and UC Santa Barbara's Alexis Ledoux (14) have more. Barea's 13 goals are the sixth-most by a Bear in a season.

• Barea leads DI in shots on goal per game (3.21) and is tied for the lead in shots per game (4.86) with Cornell's Alex Harris. Barea is second in goals per match (0.93) and points per match (2.00), trailing only Jaaskelainen in both categories. Barea is tied for fourth in total points (28) with Harris and West Virginia's Sergio Ors Navarro.

• Barea is third all-time in Missouri State history in goals (32) and points (81). He is the all-time program leader in shots (248), surpassing Jamal Sutton's 236 shots he took from 2000-03. Barea is tied for third in matches started (81) and will tie Jack Denton for second (82) if he starts on Friday.

• MoState is fifth in DI in shot accuracy with 92 of 182 shots being on goal (.505). Missouri State was fourth in that category last season (124-of-240; .517). Barea is fourth in DI in individual shot accuracy with 45 of 68 shots being on goal (.662). He was fourth in shot accuracy last year (29-of-48; .604).

• Senior goalkeeper Will Lowry has four solo shutouts in his nine starts. He is third in the nation in goalkeeper goals against average (.535). Lowry has 16 saves in just over 841 minutes of play.

• Missouri State's stifling defense has allowed five goals during its 11-match unbeaten streak. The Bears have only allowed 22 shots on goal in that span. MoState is outshooting opponents 182-87 across the season.

MVC Regular Season Championship Clinching Scenario

Missouri State can clinch the MVC regular season title and No. 1 seed + hosting rights for the 2024 MVC Championship if:

• Missouri State defeats Evansville AND Drake loses or ties Northern Illinois on Friday. Both matches start at 7:00 p.m. CT.

Series History vs. Evansville

• The Missouri State Bears and Evansville Purple Aces go head-to-head for the 45th time overall and the 20th time ever in Springfield. MoState is 29-10-5 all-time against Evansville and 13-5-1 at home.

• The Bears have won 11 straight matches over the Purple Aces dating back to 2018. The last time Evansville defeated Missouri State was on Oct. 29, 2016 in Springfield, 2-1.

• Last season, Missouri State beat Evansville, 2-1, on Oct. 18, 2023 at Arad McCutchan Stadium. Former Bears Gijs Hovius scored in the third minute on an assist from Pablo Guillen. MoState tacked on another goal from former Bear Jon Koka in the 21st minute off an assist from Barea. The Purple Aces scored in the final minute to break the shutout.

Scouting the Purple Aces

• Evansville enters Friday's match 8-5-2 with a 4-2-0 MVC record. The Purple Aces started the season on a four-match winning streak with victories at Bellarmine (Aug. 22), at Memphis (Aug. 25), vs. Southern Indiana (Sept. 1) and vs. Eastern Illinois (Sept. 4). The streak broke with a 3-2 loss at Lindenwood (Sept. 6).

• The Purple Aces most recently defeated Bowling Green, 1-0, on Friday at home. Forward Sami Owusu scored his fourth goal of the season in the 60th minute to clinch the win despite Bowling Green outshooting Evansville, 14-7, including 10-4 in the second half.

• Evansville is in the top 50 in the nation in save percentage (.756), good for fourth in The Valley. The Purple Aces are last in the conference in corner kicks per game, averaging just 3.47 per match.

• Evansville has had 11 players combine for the team's 25 goals this season. Forward Nacho Diaz Barragan leads the team with six goals, which is tied for fourth in the MVC. He opened this season with five goals in his first three matches. His lone goal since was on Oct. 12 against UIC in a 3-1 win. Midfielder Jacopo Fedrizzi leads the Aces with four assists, tied for fifth in The Valley.

• Freshman goalkeeper Michal Mroz has played every minute for the Purple Aces at net this season. He has four shutouts at Memphis, vs. Eastern Illinois, at Bradley and in the team's last outing against Bowling Green. Mroz has 61 saves this season with 20 goals allowed. He leads the league in saves per game (4.07).

Bears to The American

• On Oct. 25, Missouri State announced that it will join the American Athletic Conference as an affiliate member in men's soccer starting July 1, 2025.

• This will be the 34th and final year that men's soccer competes in the Missouri Valley Conference.

• The Bears have won 11 regular season MVC titles (1997, 1999, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022), just one shy of the 12 owned by Creighton. Missouri State also has four MVC Tournament championships (1999, 2020, 2021, 2022), which also trails Creighton (13).