Thursday, August 20
Springfield
7:00 p.m.
Missouri State University
1-0-0, 0-0-0
3
vs
1
Quinnipiac
0-1-0, 0-0-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quinnipiac | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Missouri St. | 2 | 1 | 3 |
First Game, First Win for Men’s Soccer
August 20, 2026 | Men's Soccer
SPRINGFIELD - Missouri State men's soccer (1-0-0) opened the 2026 season by overcoming the Quinnipiac Bobcats (0-1-0) with a 3-1 scoreline in front of a packed home crowd at Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium.
"I'm proud of our guys, we had a good preseason and the guys have worked really hard. We've got a lot of growth to do, and they know that, but our challenge is to win games as we keep improving and we got three points tonight so great job for the boys," stated head coach Michael Seabolt after the win.
The intensity of the match was evident from the get go, but it was Missouri State that placed itself on the scoreboard first with freshman Ben Furlong scoring his first goal as a Bear in the 24th minute from a wonderful assist by 5th year Diego Real.
The Bears stayed in control of play, and created another opportunity in the 39th minute, with senior Daniel Souza capitalizing to score in the bottom center of the goal off his right foot.
The Bobcats fought back and a Mo State error allowed for Quinnipiac's Joey Saputo to find the back of the net in the 52nd minute making the score 2-1 for the Bears.
But the Bears stayed focused, and once again found a way to extend their lead with Real tallying the game-clinching goal in the 80th minute off a stunning assist by senior Alex Rodriguez.
"I think it was a great performance from the team, I am very happy to enjoy this one with the boys and now we keep rolling," said Rodriguez.
Missouri State ended the night with 10 shots with five on goal, while the Bobcats shot ten shots with two on goal. The Bears tallied three corner kicks while the Bobcats collected five.
The Bears are back in action for their next match on Sunday, August 23rd, at 7:00 p.m. to compete against Penn State once again at Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium following the Missouri State women's soccer clash against Missouri at 3:00 p.m. Admission is free all season long.
The men's and women's soccer teams are hosting a tailgate on gameday from 2:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at Lot 25, so make sure to head on over to the game after enjoying the food and fun.
"I'm proud of our guys, we had a good preseason and the guys have worked really hard. We've got a lot of growth to do, and they know that, but our challenge is to win games as we keep improving and we got three points tonight so great job for the boys," stated head coach Michael Seabolt after the win.
The intensity of the match was evident from the get go, but it was Missouri State that placed itself on the scoreboard first with freshman Ben Furlong scoring his first goal as a Bear in the 24th minute from a wonderful assist by 5th year Diego Real.
The Bears stayed in control of play, and created another opportunity in the 39th minute, with senior Daniel Souza capitalizing to score in the bottom center of the goal off his right foot.
The Bobcats fought back and a Mo State error allowed for Quinnipiac's Joey Saputo to find the back of the net in the 52nd minute making the score 2-1 for the Bears.
But the Bears stayed focused, and once again found a way to extend their lead with Real tallying the game-clinching goal in the 80th minute off a stunning assist by senior Alex Rodriguez.
"I think it was a great performance from the team, I am very happy to enjoy this one with the boys and now we keep rolling," said Rodriguez.
Missouri State ended the night with 10 shots with five on goal, while the Bobcats shot ten shots with two on goal. The Bears tallied three corner kicks while the Bobcats collected five.
The Bears are back in action for their next match on Sunday, August 23rd, at 7:00 p.m. to compete against Penn State once again at Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium following the Missouri State women's soccer clash against Missouri at 3:00 p.m. Admission is free all season long.
The men's and women's soccer teams are hosting a tailgate on gameday from 2:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at Lot 25, so make sure to head on over to the game after enjoying the food and fun.
#GoBears | #NoStateLikeMoState
Players Mentioned
M
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
M
/ Men's SoccerTeam Stats
QUINN
MSU
Goals
1
3
Shots
10
10
Shots on Goal
2
5
Saves
2
1
Corners
5
3
Fouls
12
9
Scoring Plays
Ben Furlong (1)
Assisted By: Diego Real
GOAL by MSU Furlong, Ben Assist by Real, Diego.
23:39
Daniel Souza (1)
GOAL by MSU Souza, Daniel.
38:33
Joey Saputo (1)
GOAL by QUINN Saputo, Joey.
51:04
Diego Real (1)
Assisted By: Alex Rodriguez
GOAL by MSU Real, Diego Assist by Rodriguez, Alex.
79:03
Game Leaders
fwd
Shots
3
SOG
2
Goals
1
Assists
1
mid
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
mid
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Thursday, August 20
Wednesday, August 19
Monday, August 17
Friday, August 14
