(15) Missouri State (12-3-2, 7-0-1 MVC) vs. Kansas City (13-4-3, 5-2-1 Summit League)
Game	2024 NCAA Tournament Second Round
Date	Sunday, November 24 | 6:30 p.m. CT
Location	Springfield, Missouri | Missouri State University
Site	Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium (1,382)
Admission	Tickets
Bag Policy	Bag Policy - Missouri State (missouristatebears.com)
Follow Along	Watch | Live Stats | Game Notes (PDF)
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SPRINGFIELD - The No. 15-seed Missouri State men's soccer team earned a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in team history and will host the Kansas City Roos for a chance at the Sweet 16 on Sunday at Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available online and at the stadium entrance.

On the Pitch

• No. 15-seed Missouri State hosts Kansas City in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The Bears will be hosting their fourth NCAA Tournament match in the last six years. The team earned their second-ever first-round bye and can make their second Sweet 16 appearance with a win on Sunday.

• 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 83-14-10 (.822), best conference record of 46-2-4 (.923) and fourth-best home record of 46-7-5 (.836). The Bears have the eighth-best win percentage in 2024 (.765).

• MSU has made six straight NCAA appearances, joining Clemson, Georgetown, Indiana, Marshall, Wake Forest and Pittsburgh as the only seven DI teams in the nation to make every tournament since 2019.

• Missouri State is ranked No. 11 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and is the No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

• The Bears are 11-1-2 in their last 14 matches after a 1-0 loss in the Missouri Valley Conference semifinals against Evansville. It was MoState's first loss since Sept. 2 against Kansas City, 3-2.

• MVC Player of the Year Jesus Barea is third in the nation in total goals this season (15). Only Akron's Emil Jaaskelainen (23) and Cornell's Alex Harris (19) have more. Barea is tied for the second-most goals by a Bear in a season.

• Barea leads DI in shots per game (4.65) and shots on goal per game (2.94). He is fourth in goals per match (0.88) and third in points per match (1.94). Barea is also tied for fifth in total points (33) with UC Santa Barbara's Alexis Ledoux and behind Jaaskelainen (54), Harris (43), Fordham's Daniel D'lppolito (35) and West Virginia's Sergio Ors Navarro (34).

• 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 (259), surpassing Sutton's 236 shots he took from 2000-03. Barea is second in matches started (84), behind Kyle Hiebert (86).

• MoState is fifth in DI in shot accuracy with 111 of 221 shots being on goal (.502). Missouri State was fourth in that category last season (124-of-240; .517). Barea is fifth in DI in individual shot accuracy with 50 of 79 shots being on goal (.633). He was fourth in shot accuracy last year (29-of-48; .604). His 79 shots are the third most by a Bear in a season.

• Senior goalkeeper Will Lowry has five solo shutouts in his 12 starts. He leads the nation in goalkeeper goals against average (.567). Lowry has 20 saves in just over 1,111 minutes of play. The Bears are 9-1-2 in games Lowry has started.

• Missouri State's stifling defense has allowed just 13 goals this season, tied for the second-fewest in the nation behind Monmouth (12). MoState is outshooting opponents 221-98 across the season.

Series History vs. Kansas City

• The Missouri State Bears and Kansas City Roos go head-to-head for the 32nd time and the 18th time in Springfield. The Bears lead the all-time series 24-5-2 and hold a home record of 14-2-1 against the Roos.

• Kansas City defeated Missouri State, 3-2, in Springfield on Sept. 2 in what was MoState's final regular season loss. The Roos snapped a seven-match losing streak against MSU and earned their first win over the Bears since 2010 and first in Springfield since 1995.

• MoState won the first matchup on Sept. 11, 1987 by a score of 7-1 at home. The Bears won the first five meetings before the Roos earned their first win on Oct. 30, 1993 at home. Missouri State has won nine of the last 12 matches against Kansas City including two draws in 2014 (0-0) and 2015 (2-2). This will be the second straight season that Missouri State hosts the Summit League Tournament champions.

Scouting the Roos

• Kansas City (13-4-3, 5-2-1) earned the Summit League's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament by winning the conference tournament final over No. 4-ranked Denver, 2-1. Denver is the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Elie Kisoka scored his 12th goal of the season with 13 seconds remaining on Nov. 16 to secure the title.

• The Roos were selected to face in-state rival Saint Louis in the first round of the NCAA Tournament with the winner set to take on Missouri State. Kansas City defeated the Billikens, 2-0, on Nov. 21 in St. Louis. Guille Munoz scored his first goal of the season in the 67th minute, followed by Jeremy Francou's game-sealing goal in the 83rd minute.

• Kansas City is third in the nation in points per match (7.90), fourth in goals scored per match (2.6), fifth in shots per match (16.55), fifth in assists per match (2.70) and seventh in goal differential (+26). 

• The Roos have an astounding 18 different players who have scored a goal this season. Kisoka leads the team with 12 goals, followed by Raphael Kistmann's eight. Kansas City has 11 players who have scored one goal this year. Julien Le Bourdoulous leads the team with nine assists, including two against the Bears.

• Senior goalkeeper Brandon McGaugh has played in 19 of Kansas City's 20 matches. He has 65 saves on 26 goals allowed. He and MSU goalkeeper Will Lowry both went to Shawnee Mission East High School.

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 is the 34th and final year that men's soccer competes in the Missouri Valley Conference.

• The Bears have won 12 regular season MVC titles (1997, 1999, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024), tied with Creighton for the most all-time. Missouri State also has four MVC Tournament championships (1999, 2020, 2021, 2022), which also trails Creighton (13).