Tuesday, September 10
Conway, Ark. / Bill Stephens Complex
7:00 p.m.
Missouri State University
at
Central Arkansas
Men’s Soccer Rides Momentum to Central Arkansas
September 09, 2024 | Men's Soccer
| Missouri State (2-2-0, 0-0-0 MVC) vs. Central Arkansas (3-1-0, 0-0-0 ASUN) | |
| Date | Tuesday, September 10 | 7:00 p.m. CT |
| Location | Conway, Arkansas |
| Site | Bill Stephens Track/Soccer Complex |
| Admission | Free |
| UCA Promotion | Purple Out |
| Bag Policy | Clear Bag Policy - University of Central Arkansas Athletics (ucasports.com) |
| Follow Along | ESPN+ | Live Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
| Missouri State | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook |
SPRINGFIELD - Missouri State men's soccer (2-2) looks to start its first winning streak of the season as it goes on the road for the second time this season for a Bears vs. Bears matchup against Central Arkansas (3-1) at Bill Stephens Track/Soccer Complex in Conway Arkansas. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
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 DI overall record of 73-13-8 (.819), best conference record of 39-2-3 (.920) and third-best home record of 42-6-4 (.846). The Bears were tied for the 18th-best win percentage in 2023 (.711).
- 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.
- The Bears returned to .500 this season after a 1-0 victory over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Friday. It was Missouri State's first win against Tulsa since 2019 and first win against Tulsa in regulation since 2017.
- Senior forward Jesus Barea lit up the stat sheet again with his sixth goal of the season in the 30th minute. He has scored six of Missouri State's seven goals this year. He assisted senior defender Michael Peck's goal against Pacific.
- Barea leads the nation in shots per game (5.50) and shots on goal per game (3.50). He is second in goals per game (1.50) behind West Virginia's Sergio Ors Navarro (1.75) and third in points per game (3.25) behind Navarro (3.50) and Wisconsin's Dean Boltz (3.40). Barea leads the MVC in total shots (22), shots on goal (14), goals (6) and points (13).
- Barea sits seventh in all-time Missouri State history in goals (25), seventh in points (66) and second in shots (202).
- Barea is one of four Division I players to score at least six goals this season. He has scored in five straight games going back to the second round of last season's NCAA Tournament against Stanford.
- Senior goalkeeper Harry Townsend has a clean sheet in each of Missouri State's wins. The All-West Region player's 25 career shutouts are the second most among active DI goalkeepers behind Duke's Wessel Speel with 26. Townsend is tied with Liam Priestley for third in shutouts in program history, two shy of Michael Creek's record of 27 clean sheets.
- Missouri State hired former All-American midfielder Kian Yari to the coaching staff in May following a stellar five-year career with the Bears that saw three straight MVC Tournament titles (2020-22) and four straight MVC regular season titles (2019-22). Yari was a 2021 United Soccer Coaches All-American, 2021 and 2022 CSC Academic All-American and the 2021 MVC Midfielder of the Year. He ended his career third all-time in assists as a Bear with 22, including four in 2023.
- Last season, the Bears were fourth in the nation in shot accuracy with 124 of 240 shots being on goal (.517). Missouri State starts 2024 on a similar trajectory with 26 of 49 shots being on goal in its first four matches (.531), tied for 21st-best.
- Missouri State played a clean brand of soccer in 2023. The Bears were sixth in the nation in fewest fouls per game (8.89), only behind Boston College (8.12), fellow MVC opponent Belmont (8.56), Jacksonville, Pittsburgh and St. Bonaventure (8.71). The Bears average 9.50 fouls per game this year, fewest in the MVC and tied for 38th fewest in DI.
Series History vs. Central Arkansas
- The Missouri State Bears and Central Arkansas Bears go head-to-head for the 21st time overall and eighth time in Conway. Missouri State is 12-5-3 against Central Arkansas and 4-2-1 against UCA on the road.
- Missouri State won the first-ever matchup against Central Arkansas, 4-0, on Sept. 10, 2006, exactly 18 years to the day of Tuesday's matchup. A win for Missouri State would match the longest winning streak by either team in the series. Missouri State has won three in a row and won four consecutively from 2013-16.
- Central Arkansas played in the MVC from 2010-18, winning the regular season title in 2018 and the conference tournament in 2017 and 2018. MSU was 0-2-1 against UCA in The Valley Tournament.
Scouting the Other Bears
- Central Arkansas enters Tuesday night's match with a 3-1 record, holding wins against Evangel, at Memphis and against Oral Roberts last Thursday. UCA's one loss was against No. 15 Wake Forest, 3-2.
- Central Arkansas took the lead against Oral Roberts in the fourth minute on a goal by Tajio James. It was his first of the year and second of his career. UCA outshot ORU 12-10 with seven shots in goal.
- Central Arkansas leads the Atlantic Sun Conference in goals per game (2.25, tied 25th nationally), shots on goal per game (7.50, T-13th nationally), shot accuracy (.517, 30th nationally), assists per game (2.25, T-26th nationally), points per game (6.75, T-34th nationally), save percentage (.900, eighth nationally), team goals against average (.750, T-27th nationally) and goal differential (+6, T-25th nationally). The Bears are also second behind Lipscomb in the ASUN in shots per game (14.50, T-35th nationally) and second behind Jacksonville in fewest fouls per game (9.25, T-31st nationally).
- Seven UCA players combine for its nine goals this season. Pietro Fontana scored two against Memphis and Kevin Ventura scored the other goal against Memphis and one against No. 15 Wake Forest. Ventura was named ASUN Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 3.
- Junior goalkeeper Javier Ramirez was named ASUN Goalkeeper of the Week on Monday following his third clean sheet across UCA's four matches this season. The Spaniard earned six saves in the win over ORU. Ramirez is second nationally in saves per game (6.75), sixth in total saves (27) and tied for 10th in save percentage (.900).
#BearsUnite
Players Mentioned
Baseball Postgame vs. Northeastern (5/30/26)
Saturday, May 30
Baseball Postgame vs. Arkansas (5/29/26)
Saturday, May 30
Lawrence Regional Preview Press Conference
Thursday, May 28
Baseball Postgame vs. Liberty (5/24/26)
Sunday, May 24
