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The Missouri Valley Conference turned in a collective 3-5-1 record in non-conference action last week. Missouri State improved to 2-0 on the season with a win at Kansas City, while Bradley beat IUPUI and earned a draw with Oakland to stay unbeaten. Drake also claimed its first win of the season, beating UNLV in Des Moines.
No Place Like Home
MVC men’s soccer programs are off to a great start at home this season, sitting 6-1-2 on their home pitches. This week’s action will see six home matches on the schedule, including a home matchup with former league member Central Arkansas at Missouri State.
Dolling Strikes Again
Missouri State continued their hot start to the 2019 season with an impressive 3-0 win over Kansas City on Saturday. Josh Dolling scored his second consecutive game-winning goal for the Bears with his goal in the 24th minute. Dolling is tied for first nationally with two game-winners already on the season.
Bears Remain Perfect
Missouri State is off to a 2-0 start for the first time since the 2013 season when the Bears opened with wins over Incarnate Word and Omaha.
Another Shutout
MSU notched a second straight shutout to start the season, holding UMKC to just three shots in the win. The Bears’ defense has held opponents to a total of three shots on goal through the first two matches to open the season. Missouri State is currently one of 12 teams nationally yet to surrender a goal this season.
Bradley Extends Non-Con Streak
Bradley will be looking to equal a program record when the Braves host in-state rival Eastern Illinois Friday night at Shea Stadium. By opening the 2019 season with a 1-0-2 record, Bradley has extended its non-conference unbeaten streak to 17 games (9-0-8), dating to Oct. 17, 2017. The Bradley record for consecutive non-conference games without a loss is an 18-game (15-0-3) streak from Sept. 7, 1997-Nov. 13, 1998.
Improved Attack
After scoring 21 goals last season, the Aces are already a third of the way to last year’s season total this year. Evansville has scored seven goals in three matches this season, including two matches in which the Aces have recorded three goals. Last season, the Aces scored three or more goals just once last season in the regular season finale against Bradley where Evansville earned a 4-3 win.
Scoring Streak
Valpo junior Mason Marcey has started the season on a scoring streak as he has registered goals in each of the team’s first three games. With his goal in Friday’s match at UIC, Marcey became the first Valpo player to score in each of the first three games of a season since D.J. Catrow did so in 2005 against Buffalo, Canisius and Butler.
Rallying Ramblers
Loyola has scored three out of its four goals in the second half this season, including Justin Sukow’s late goal against Cal State Fullerton. The Ramblers have also notched more saves in the second half compared to their opponents, as goalkeeper Marcel Kampman has already recorded 13 this season.
MVC in Regional Rankings
The MVC has three teams currently ranked in the latest United Soccer Coaches West Regional rankings released on Tuesday (Sept. 10). Missouri State sits No. 5 in the region, while Loyola (7th) and Bradley (9th) also appear in the poll.
This week's Missouri Valley Conference Players of the Week are Bradley's Gerit Wintermeyer and Missouri State's Jack Denton.
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Gerit Wintermeyer, Jr., F, Bradley
Wintermeyer scored in both of Bradley’s games over the weekend, including his fifth career game-winning strike Friday night. The junior forward notched his first goal of the season in the 26th minute Friday, finishing a give-and-go play with Jha’Lon Johnson for the only tally in Bradley’s 1-0 win against IUPUI. Wintermeyer’s second goal of the year gave the Braves a 2-0 lead in what ended up a 2-2 draw Sunday against Oakland, calmly collecting a deflected clearance and burying a 12-yard shot in the 52nd minute. Bradley’s active career scoring leader, Wintermeyer pushed his totals to 38 points on 16 goals and six assists in his 36 career games.
Other Notable Performances: Austin Smythe (DU); Filip Johansson (UE); Justin Sukow (LUC); Josh Dolling (MSU)
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jack Denton, So., MF, Missouri State
Playing primarily as a defensive midfielder, Missouri State’s Jack Denton was a key piece in the Bears’ backline that recorded a second straight shutout in a 3-0 win over Kansas City on Saturday. MSU held UMKC to just three shots the whole match with none of the shots being on goal. Denton tallied two assists off corner kicks in the match as well, joining the attack for MSU on their eight corner kicks in Saturday’s match.
Other Notable Performances: Walid Kherat (BRAD)