NOTEBOOK (PDF)
All six conference squads have had their first taste of Valley action following last week's play. Missouri State sits 2-0 in conference play, while Drake is also unblemished at 1-0. Loyola and Valpo each split last week and sit 1-1 in league play. Four more MVC matches appear on the schedule this week.
Polling
Missouri State entered the national rankings this week, appearing at No. 19 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll, No. 24 in the TopDrawerSoccer.com Top 25 and No. 27 in the College Soccer News Top 30 poll.
MVC in Regional Rankings
The MVC has two teams currently ranked in the latest United Soccer Coaches West Regional rankings released on Tuesday (Sept. 24). Missouri State sits No. 2 in the region, while Loyola is ranked sixth.
Bears End Ramblers Streak
Missouri State came from behind to earn a 2-1 overtime win at Loyola Sunday afternoon, snapping the Ramblers 8-match win streak (dating back to Sept. 7, 2018). The streak was tied for the fifth longest active streak in NCAA Division I.
Bears Remain Perfect
Missouri State extended its winning streak to six games with a pair of MVC wins last week. The Bears have opened their season with six straight wins for the first time since the 1995 team went 7-0 to begin the season. The six-game winning streak is Missouri State’s longest winning streak since 2017.
The Bears are one of 10 teams still sitting perfect in all of NCAA Division I, joining Stanford, SMU, St. John’s, Saint Mary’s, Clemson, Navy, Virginia, Georgetown and Cal St. Fullerton.
Streaking
Drake saw its win streak reach three straight with wins over Western Illinois and Bradley last week. Goalkeeper Luke Anderson has recorded three straight shutouts in just seven career starts, good for a shutouts per game average of .429, which ranks first in the MVC this season.
Comeback Kids
Valpo faced a 1-0 deficit as late as the 77th minute on Sunday afternoon against Evansville, but a pair of quick strikes from Dylan Waugaman and Adan Garcia helped Valpo to a 2-1 victory over the Purple Aces. Valpo won after allowing the first goal of the match for the first time since last October, when the team came from 1-0 down to beat Eastern Illinois with two second-half tallies.
First Time for Everything
In Loyola’s win against Evansville on Wednesday, the Ramblers experienced a handful of firsts which included first conference win of the season, first road win and freshman Liam Moore’s first collegiate goal.
RPI Update
According to RPI Update (not official NCAA) Missouri State sits 10th in the RPI at this point with Loyola coming in at No. 24. Valparaiso also currently sits in the Top 100, sitting No. 78 this week. The MVC ranks 10th as a conference.
National Team of the Week
Drake’s Liam Wilson earned a spot on this week’s 11-member College Soccer News Team of the Week, after anchoring the Bulldogs’ backline in shutout wins over Western Illinois and Bradley. Missouri State’s Stuart Wilkin was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week for his two goals in a pair of Bears wins.
This week's Missouri Valley Conference Players of the Week are Missouri State's Stuart Wilkin and Drake's Luke Anderson.
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Stuart Wilkin, Sr., M, Missouri State
Stuart Wilkin recorded goals in back-to-back matches for Missouri State as the Bears opened conference play with a pair of wins against Valparaiso and Loyola to remain perfect on the season. Wilkin launched a game-winning goal in overtime to complete the Bears’ comeback in a 2-1 win over Loyola on Sunday. The senior from Surrey scored his first goal of 2019 in the fifth minute of MSU’s 3-1 win over Valparaiso on Wednesday, Sept. 18 in the conference opener for both squads. Wilkin tallied consecutive multi-shot matches to increase his season total to 12 shots which ranks sixth in the league.
Other Notable Performances: Leroy Enzugusi (DU); Justin Sukow (LUC); Adan Garcia (VALPO)
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Luke Anderson, So., GK, Drake
Drake sophomore goalkeeper Luke Anderson played all 180 minutes between the posts for the Bulldogs as they held both of their opponents scoreless this week. Anderson’s strong play is a major reason the Bulldogs have recorded three-straight clean sheets and three-straight wins. He has recorded three shutouts in just seven career starts.
Other Notable Performances: Edvin Holst (VALPO)