Missouri State continued to hold the top spot in the league standings following a 3-1 win at UIC Saturday. The Bears are 4-0-0 in league play (12 pts), while Drake (3-1-0, 9 pts) sits three points behind Missouri State in second position. Evansville (2-1-2, 8 pts) and Belmont (2-2-2, 8 pts) occupy the third slot in the standings, while Bradley (1-3-1, 4 pts) and UIC (1-3-1, 4 pts) sit fifth. SIUE (1-4-0, 3 pts) rounds out the standings entering this week’s matches.
This week’s conference slate includes two matches on Wednesday and three matches on Sunday with all five on ESPN3 or ESPN+. First place Missouri State will host SIUE and travel to Belmont, while second place Drake hosts Bradley and travels to Evansville. Bradley will host UIC in the fifth match of the week.
RPI Update
According to latest RPI Update from the NCAA, the MVC has two teams sitting in the Top 100 of the RPI. Missouri State sits 25th in the RPI with Belmont at 92. The MVC ranks 12th as a conference.
Poll Position
Missouri State sits No. 21 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 (Oct. 11). MSU comes in at No. 21 in the College Soccer News Top 30 poll and No. 16 in the Top Drawer Soccer Top 25 this week.
MVC in Regional Rankings
The MVC has four teams currently ranked in the latest United Soccer Coaches West Regional rankings (Oct. 18). Missouri State sits No. 2 in the region, while Drake sits 7th, Belmont 8th and Evansville 9th.
Valley Win Streak
Missouri State has won 14-straight Valley matches dating back to the 2020-21 season. The Bears’ last conference loss was to Loyola on April 8, 2021. In fact, since the 2019 season, Missouri State is 31-1-0 in Valley regular season matches, which is the best conference run nationally over that time period.
Road Win Streak
Missouri State enters the week riding a seven match road win streak. The streak is currently tied for the longest active streak in the NCAA. The Bears last defeat on the road was at Tulsa on Sept. 3, 2021.
Current Active Road Win Streaks (NCAA)
1. Vermont 7
Missouri State 7
Dating back to 2019, MSU has only lost two regular-season road matches. The Bears sported a 5-1 away record during the 2021 season, a 5-0 record during the 2020 season, an 8-1-1 record during the 2019 season and are currently 2-0 in road contests this year.
BEL: Home Streak on the Line
With nine home shutouts in two seasons, the Bruins are on a 16-match home unbeaten streak that dates back to March 30, 2021. Belmont has gotten a result in 18 of its last 20 home matches and is 20-7-7 at Rose Park since the start of the 2018 season. The Bruins have outscored their opponents 24-8 during their home undefeated streak.
On Sunday, Belmont hosts nationally-ranked and MVC-leading Missouri State at E.S. Rose Park in the Music City after completing its challenging three-game road swing Wednesday evening at Bellarmine.
BRAD: Back to League Play
After a pair of non-conference matches last week, drawing Eastern Illinois and falling at Michigan, Bradley returns to Valley play for a pair of matches this week. The Braves are 1-0-1 in their last two MVC contests and will face Drake and UIC this week.
DU: Hot Dogs
Drake men’s soccer won their only game last week in a 2-0 home victory over Belmont (10/15). The Bulldogs got a pair of goals from grad transfer Sam Thornton, his second of the year, and Brennan Rzewuski, his first. At 5-2-3 overall, Drake is just one victory away from equaling their six-game win total from the entire 2021 season. The Bulldogs will host Bradley on Wednesday, Oct. 19 for their penultimate home match.
UE: Accurate Aces
On the attack, Evansville has been one of the most efficient teams in the nation this season. The Aces rank 12th in the country in shot accuracy, putting half of their shots on goal, led by sophomore Nacho Diaz, who individually sits 14th in the nation in the category with a shots on-goal percentage of 60.6%.
UIC: On a Torrent
Josh Torres scored against #21 Missouri State to bring his season total to four. It vaulted him into the top 10 in the Valley, and helped the Flames avoid a shutout at the hands of the Bears – one of only two league teams to do so.
MOST: Scoring Offense
The Bears continue to produce a high-caliber offense. Through 11 matches this season, MSU has tallied 28 goals, an average of 2.55 per game. MSU currently ranks 11th in the nation in scoring offense and is also tied for 11th in the NCAA in goal differential, outscoring its opponents 28-8. With an 8-1-2 record, MSU is tied for 11th in the NCAA in overall winning percentage (.818).
SIUE: On the Road Again
SIUE heads out on the road this week and will face nationally ranked Missouri State in Springfield. The Cougars have one road win this season, beating Western Illinois 1-0 back on Sept. 9.
This week's Missouri Valley Conference Players of the Week are Missouri State's Jon Koka and Adrian Barosen.
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jon Koka, Sr., F, Missouri State
Jon Koka scored the game-winning goal for the Bears on Saturday, in their 3-1 come-from-behind victory over the University of Illinois Chicago. Koka was the difference maker for MSU over the weekend, coming off the bench and netting his second goal of the season in the 70th minute. Off an assist from Jack Denton, the junior forward netted a shot past the Flames’ keeper to give the team the advantage and ultimately, their fourth conference win to keep the team undefeated. The win keeps the Bears atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings.
Other Notable Performances: Sam Thornton (DU); Jose Vivas (UE)
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Adrian Barosen, Jr., D, Missouri State
Adrian Barosen was another difference maker in the Bears’ 3-1 win over UIC on Saturday. The junior defender came off the bench and his impact was felt immediately. Four minutes into coming on the pitch, Barosen took a shot from way outside the box, stunning the UIC keeper and landing the ball into the bottom right-hand corner of the net. The 64th minute goal turned out to be the spark the Bears needed to score three unanswered goals and win the match in come-from-behind fashion.
Other Notable Performances: N/A