2024 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Championship
Tournament       Home	MVC Tournament Central
Location	Springfield, Missouri | Missouri State University
Site	Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium (1,382) | Bag Policy
Admission	Tickets Available at the Gate | Cash and Card Accepted Single-session adults: $10 | Single-session children/students: $5 | All-session tickets - Adults: $15; Child: $8
Semifinal #1	Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 3 p.m. CT No. 2 Drake - 0 vs. No. 3 Bowling Green - 1 Box Score | Box Score (PDF) | Drake Game Notes | Bowling Green Game Notes
Semifinal #2	Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. CT No. 1 Missouri State - 0 vs. No. 5 Evansville - 1 Box Score | Box Score (PDF) | Missouri State Game Notes | Evansville Game Notes
Championship	Saturday, Nov. 16 at 6:30 p.m. CT No. 3 Bowling Green - 2 vs. No. 5 Evansville - 3 (OT) Box Score | Box Score (PDF) | Bowling Green Game Notes | Evansville Game Notes

SPRINGFIELD - The No. 11-ranked Missouri State men's soccer team hosts its third Missouri Valley Conference Championship Tournament in the last four years as the MVC regular season champions and No. 1-seed for the tournament. Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium will host the semifinals (Nov. 13) and championship (Nov. 16) of the tournament.

On the Pitch

• Missouri State has achieved three straight 12-win seasons under head coach Michael Seabolt. MoState can earn its first 13-win season since 2021. A 13th win this season would tie Seabolt's career-best he set in 2005 at West Virginia.

• Since the beginning of the 2019 season, Missouri State holds the best Division I overall record of 83-13-10 (.830), best conference record of 46-2-4 (.923) and second-best home record of 46-6-5 (.851), behind Hofstra (43-4-5, .875). The Bears are tied for the third-best win percentage in 2024 with Cornell (.813), behind Ohio State (.853) and Penn (.844).

• 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. 11 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll released last Tuesday. The ranking moved the Bears up six spots from No. 17 the week prior. Missouri State has been ranked in seven consecutive seasons.

• Missouri State is 11-0-2 in its last 13 matches after securing the MVC regular season title in a 1-0 win at Drake last Wednesday. The Bears held the Bulldogs to three shots. Missouri State's four shots were its fewest in a match since 2017.

• MVC Player of the Year forward Jesus Barea is third in the nation in total goals this season (15). Only Akron's Emil Jaaskelainen (20) and Cornell's Alex Harris (16) have more. Barea's is tied for the second-most by a Bear in a season.

• Barea leads DI in shots on goal per game (3.06) and is second in shots per game (4.69). He is third in goals per match (0.94) and in points per match (2.06). Barea is tied for third in total points (33) with UC Santa Barbara's Alexis Ledoux and Fordham's Daniel D'lppolito and behind Jaaskelainen (51) and Harris (37).

• Barea is tied for second all-time in Missouri State history in goals (34) and is third in points (86). He is tied with Jamal Sutton for seventh in assists (18). He is the all-time program leader in shots (255), surpassing Sutton's 236 shots he took from 2000-03. Barea is second in matches started (83), breaking a tie with Jack Denton (82) last Wednesday.

• MoState is fourth in DI in shot accuracy with 107 of 210 shots being on goal (.510). Missouri State was fourth in that category last season (124-of-240; .517). Barea is fourth in DI in individual shot accuracy with 49 of 75 shots being on goal (.653). He was fourth in shot accuracy last year (29-of-48; .604). His 75 shots are the third most by a Bear in a season.

• Senior goalkeeper Will Lowry has five solo shutouts in his 11 starts. He leads the nation in goalkeeper goals against average (.529). Lowry has 18 saves in just over 1,021 minutes of play. The Bears are 9-0-2 in games Lowry has started.

• Missouri State's stifling defense has allowed six goals during its 13-match unbeaten streak. The Bears have only allowed 25 shots on goal in that span. MoState is outshooting opponents 210-95 across the season.

• Senior goalkeeper Harry Townsend's 25 career solo shutouts are tied for the third most among active DI goalkeepers. Townsend is tied with Liam Priestley for third in shutouts in program history, two shy of Michael Creek's record of 27.

Series History in Missouri Valley Conference Tournament

• The Missouri State Bears have an all-time record of 24-21-7 in the MVC Tournament. The Bears won four tournament championships (1999, 2020-21, 2021, 2022). MoState is 12-7-4 in the semifinal round and 4-9-1 in the championship match.

• The Bears had their seven tournament-match winning streak snapped in the championship round of last season's tournament against Western Michigan, 2-1, on Nov. 11, 2023. Missouri State scored in the 84th minute to tie the match, but the Broncos scored the game-winner in the 89th to keep the Bears from a fourth consecutive Valley Tournament championship.

• In the MVC Tournament, Missouri State is a combined 8-3-3 against the three remaining opponents (Bowling Green, Drake, Evansville). The Bears are 5-2-2 in tournament matches against the Purple Aces.

Scouting The Valley

• Evansville (9-6-3, 4-3-1) enters the MVC Tournament as the No. 5 seed. The Purple Aces defeated No. 4-seed Western Michigan, 2-1, in overtime on the road in the quarterfinal round on Sunday. The win over No. 23-ranked Western Michigan was Evansville's first ranked win since 2018.

• Bowling Green (11-5-2, 4-3-1) enters the MVC Tournament as the No. 3 seed. The Falcons defeated No.6-seed UIC, 4-1, at home in the quarterfinal round on Sunday. Jake Bergin scored 33 seconds into the match and Ryko Bodurov earned a brace in the statement win.

• Drake (9-4-3, 5-1-2) enters the MVC Tournament as the No. 2 seed, earning a first-round bye straight to the semifinal round. The Bulldogs ended the regular season with a 1-0 loss to Missouri State in a match that decided the regular season championship. Missouri State needed a win or draw to secure the title.

• Missouri Valley Conference RPI (Through games Nov. 10, 2024): Missouri State - 7, Western Michigan - 30, Drake - 40, Bowling Green - 60, Evansville - 82, UIC - 95, Bradley - 134, Belmont - 169, Northern Illinois - 176