ST. LOUIS - Seven Missouri State men's soccer players were rewarded with 2024 All-Missouri Valley Conference honors, the league announced Tuesday morning. 

Senior Jesus Barea was named the MVC Player of the Year for the second time in his career. He was also named MVC Forward of the Year. Sophomore Tyler Caton was named MVC Co-Midfielder of the Year, sharing the title with Eskil Gjerde of Drake.

Barea, Caton and redshirt junior midfielder Alex Matthews were named to the All-MVC first team. Three more Bears – redshirt senior forward James Jennings, senior forward Fumiya Shiraishi and senior goalkeeper Will Lowry – were named to the All-MVC second team. 

Defender Victor Wachowicz was also named to the All-MVC Freshman Team. 

Barea (Cádiz, Spain) is the first Missouri State Bear and the fifth player in conference history to win a second MVC Player of the Year award, having also won the award in 2022. Barea also makes the All-MVC first team for the third consecutive season. This year, Barea ended the regular season leading The Valley in points (33), goals (15), game-winning goals (5), shots (75) and shots on goal (49). His 15 goals this season are tied for the second-most in Missouri State single-season history.

Caton (Surrey, England) followed up his MVC Freshman of the Year award last season with co-honors for the league's Midfielder of the Year award. The honor marks the fourth straight year a Missouri State Bear earned the distinction, following Kian Yari (2021) and Jack Denton  (2022 and 2023). Caton ended the regular season with a career-high four assists to bring his career total to seven. 

Matthews (Derbyshire, England) rounds out the first-team nods with his first career selection. He led the team with 1,413 minutes played throughout the regular season, seeing the pitch for all but 27 minutes. Matthews earned his first career assist in Missouri State's home opener against Pacific (Aug. 26) and also earned one in the Bears' 7-0 victory over Northern Illinois (Oct. 6). 

Jennings (Dublin, Ireland) headlines Missouri State's All-MVC second team with a career year providing a spark for the Bears off the bench. His career-high seven goals are second on the team and tied for fifth in the league. His scoring run included a stretch of back-to-back braces against Northern Illinois (Oct. 6) and Belmont (Oct. 12). He is also tied for fifth in the league in points (18). Jennings was a fixture on the All-MVC Freshman and Tournament Team in 2022.

Shiraishi (Tokyo, Japan) also made the All-MVC second team in his first season with the Bears. The former All-Region XI First-Team player at Marshalltown Community College notched a career-high five goals while also tallying four assists. On top of his brace against Northern Illinois (Oct. 6), Shiraishi's regular season is highlighted by his last-minute game-winning goal against Creighton (Oct. 1) in Kansas City. 

Lowry (Overland Park, Kan.) marks the second Missouri State goalkeeper in as many seasons to earn a spot on the All-MVC second team, following Harry Townsend in 2023. Lowry ended the regular season with five shutouts in his 11 starts. He leads the nation in goalkeeper goals against average (.529) while allowing just six goals this season. As a team, Missouri State has allowed 12 goals this season, tied for the second-fewest in the nation.

Wachowicz (High Wycombe, England) earned a spot on the All-MVC freshman team as a reliable presence on Missouri State's back line. He leads all Bears defenders in minutes played this season at 1,054, good for fourth on the team. He earned his first career assist in Missouri State's 2-1 victory over Bowling Green (Oct. 20). As a team, Missouri State is tied for the ninth-best goals against average percentage in Division I (.750).

Missouri State (12-2-2, 7-0-1 MVC) will begin its showing in the MVC Tournament with its ninth straight semifinal appearance as it hosts No. 5-seeded Evansville (9-6-3, 4-3-1) on Wednesday from Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.

Player of the Year: Jesus Barea, Missouri State 
Forward of the Year: Jesus Barea, Missouri State 
Co-Midfielders of the Year: Eskil Gjerde, Drake; Tyler Caton, Missouri State 
Defensive Player of the Year: Kyle Cusimano, Bowling Green 
Goalkeeper of the Year: Colin Welsh, Western Michigan 
Freshman of the Year: Preston Kipnusu, Drake 
Coaching Staff of the Year: Drake (Pat Flinn, Kyle Smith, Cole Poppen, James Wypych) 
MVC Fair Play Award: Western Michigan