SPRINGFIELD – No. 5-seeded Evansville (11-6-3) topped No. 3 seed Bowling Green (12-6-2), 3-2, in overtime of the 2024 Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Soccer Championship title match on Saturday night at Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium.
 
Saturday night’s match marked the seventh time in league history that the championship game went to overtime and first time since 2017.
 
The tournament title marks just the second in program history for the Purple Aces, winning their first championship, a 3-2 overtime win over Creighton, in 1996. The Valley championship match marked the first time since 2016 a five seed had advanced to the title game and third time in five years that the Purple Aces were in the final.
 
The Purple Aces will serve as the Valley’s automatic bid in the 2024 Division I Men’s Soccer NCAA Tournament, slated to begin on Thursday, Nov. 21.
 
MVC Men’s Soccer All-Tournament Team
Bart Muns, UIC
Noah James, Western Michigan
Ryder Barrett, Drake
Eskil Gjerde, Drake
Alex Matthews, Missouri State
Tyler Caton, Missouri State
Brendan Graves, Bowling Green
Jake Lane, Bowling Green
Trace Terry, Bowling Green
Jacopo Fedrizzi, Evansville
Martin Wurschmidt, Evansville
Nacho Garcia, Evansville
 
Tournament MVP – Kai Phillips, Evansville
 
Elite 18 Winner – Jake Lane, Bowling Green (Individualized Business Major, 4.00 GPA)
 
NCAA Selection Show
The NCAA will announce the men’s soccer tournament field of 48 at 12 PM (CT) on Monday, November 18 on NCAA.com. Twenty-two teams earn automatic qualification, with the remaining 26 teams selected at large by the Division I Men’s Soccer Committee. The top 16 teams will be seeded and receive first-round byes with an opportunity to host quarterfinals.

Multi Bid MVC
The Missouri Valley Conference is in position for multiple bids to the 2024 NCAA Men’s Soccer College Cup.  The Valley has produced multiple bids on 18 occasions, including four occasions of three bids (2000, 2002, 2003, 2004).