Men’s Soccer Heads to UIC for First MVC Road Test

SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State men’s soccer (4-2, 1-0 MVC) hits the road to begin a three-match trip away from home starting with a rematch of last season’s Missouri Valley Conference semifinal against the UIC Flames (4-3, 0-0 MVC) on Saturday, Sept. 21 at Flames Field in Chicago. 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 75-13-8 (.823), best conference record of 40-2-3 (.922) and third-best home record of 43-6-4 (.849). 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 extended their first winning streak of the season with a 1-0 victory over the Bradley Braves on Sunday to start MVC play. It was Missouri State’s 15th straight win over Bradley. The Bears have won 12 straight MVC openers.

• Senior forward James Jennings scored his first goal of the season in the 79th minute against Bradley to secure the win. He has scored at least one goal in the last three seasons. He also leads the team with three assists.

• Senior forward Jesus Barea leads the nation in shots per game (5.67) and shots on goal per game (4.00). He is second in total goals (8) behind UMass’ Alec Hughes (10). He also only trails Hughes in goals per game (1.33) and points per game (2.83). Barea leads the MVC in goals (8), points (17), total shots (34), shots on goal (24) and is tied for second in game-winning goals (2). He averages more than double the shots on goal per game than anyone in The Valley.

• Barea is tied for third in all-time Missouri State history in goals (27) and points (70) and is second in shots (214). He trails Jamal Sutton (2000-03) by 22 shots (236) for the program record in shots taken.

• Barea has led the Bears to average the seventh-most shots on goal per game in Division I (7.67), including 13 against Bradley. The 18 shots and 13 shots on goal on Sunday were season-bests.

• Missouri State’s stifling defense has recorded three straight shutouts during this winning streak. The Bears have only allowed two shots on goal in that span. MoState is outshooting opponents 77-33 across the season.

• Senior goalkeeper Will Lowry made his first career start against Bradley after coming in relief earlier last week against Central Arkansas. He recorded his first career save in the 14th minute and earned his first career solo shutout.

• Senior goalkeeper Harry Townsend’s 25 career solo 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.

• Last season, the Bears were fourth in the nation in shot accuracy with 124 of 240 shots being on goal (.517). Missouri State is on a similar trajectory with 46 of 77 shots being on goal in its first six matches (.597), which is third in DI behind Colgate (.636) and South Carolina (.616).

Series History vs. UIC

• The Missouri State Bears and UIC Flames go head-to-head for the sixth time overall and second time in Flames Field. Missouri State is 4-0-1 all-time against UIC, including a 3-1 victory at UIC in 2022.

• The two teams most recently met in last year’s MVC Tournament semifinals on Nov. 8, 2023 where the Bears scored in the 10th minute and never looked back in the 1-0 victory. Assistant coach Kian Yari scored his final career assist in that match. He also scored against UIC at Flames Field in 2022.

• Last season in Springfield, the No. 9 Bears and No. 25 Flames fought to a 0-0 draw in a ranked battle on Oct. 8, 2023. Missouri State outshot UIC 19-4, including 10 shots on goal to UIC’s two. MoState has not been shut out in the 15 matches since.

Scouting the Flames

• UIC enters Saturday night’s match with a 4-3 record, sporting a three-match winning streak of its own. The Flames have beaten Oakland, Loyola Chicago and Marquette during the streak with their last loss coming against No. 12 Northwestern on Sept. 2, 2024.

• Against Marquette last Sunday, UIC scored twice in the first half for a 2-0 victory while outshooting the Golden Eagles 24-5. The Flames played the last 20 minutes at advantage thanks to a Marquette red card.

• UIC has played fairly close matches, holding a +1 goal differential for the season while also opponents in shots on goal (35), yellow cards (11) and are close to opponents in saves (23-22), fouls (86-83) and corner kicks (28-32).

• Eight UIC players combine for its 13 goals this season. Midfielder Rui Reis and former MVC First Team player Bart Muns lead the team with three goals apiece. Reis has scored two in his last three matches while also notching two assists against Loyola Chicago. Muns had a brace in a 4-2 win over Green Bay. Both players lead the team with 15 shots this season.

• Graduate goalkeeper Oren Asher has played in five of UIC’s seven matches with 12 goals allowed on 21 saves (.636). The Rutgers transfer is tied for fifth in career shutouts (20) among active DI goalkeepers. Sophomore goalkeeper Kevin Dabrowski has played UIC’s last two matches, tallying two shutouts in his first two career appearances at net. He has faced 10 shots with a pair of saves against Marquette.