Men's Soccer

MVC Men's Soccer Weekly Notebook (Oct. 27)

Player of the Week: Devin Shepherd, Evansville
Defensive Player of the Week: Matheus Filipe, Bowling Green
Goalkeeper of the Week: Jason Ball, Bowling Green

Devin Shepherd tallied three points in Evansville’s two matches this week, scoring the first goal of the match against No. 13 Wisconsin before recording an assist in the Purple Aces’ 3-1 victory over UIC. Shepherd found the back of the net against the nationally-ranked Badgers on Oct. 20 before helping Evansville secure a conference win four days later. The goal scored against Wisconsin marked just the third goal allowed by the Badgers in non-conference play this year. The sophomore leads the team with eight points this season.

Matheus Filipe helped Bowling Green maintain its position atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings with a pair of 2-0 shutout victories over Oakland and Belmont. The freshman defender played all 90 minutes in both matches as the Falcons recorded consecutive clean sheets, extending their shutout streak to three matches and earning their fourth shutout in their last eight contests. Against Belmont on Oct. 25, Filipe and the Bowling Green defense withstood 31 shots, including 21 in the second half, to preserve the shutout and secure another important victory.

Jason Ball delivered a standout week in goal to help Bowling Green remain atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings, recording consecutive shutouts in a pair of 2-0 victories over Oakland and Belmont. The senior goalkeeper made 11 saves across 180 minutes, including eight in the win over Belmont on Oct. 25, as the Falcons held the Bruins scoreless despite facing 31 shots. Ball recorded his third consecutive shutout and fourth in eight starts this season. He entered the week leading the nation in save percentage (.913) and ranking third nationally in goals-against average (0.50).

Conference News & Notes

  • With two Conference matches remaining in the regular season, five teams have secured a spot in the six-team tournament field. The final regular-season Conference matches are slated for Friday, October 30, and Wednesday, November 4. 
  • With its 2-0 win over Belmont on Sunday, Bowling Green has secured a top-three seed. The Falcons are one of three teams - joined by Belmont and Evansville - that have a chance at winning the regular-season title. 
  • Non-conference action concludes this week, as Evansville hosts Lipscomb on Tuesday evening and Wilmington travels to face Bowling Green on Wednesday. 
  • Each round of the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference will be hosted by the highest seed, with the championship match being played at the highest remaining seed after the semifinal round.
  • Bowling Green enters the week on a six-match win streak, outscoring its opponents, 12-3, during that stretch. The Falcons’ six-straight victories is currently the third-longest win streak in the country behind Georgetown (W9) and Portland (W8). 
  • Evansville scored three unanswered goals to earn a 3-1 victory at UIC on Saturday night for its third Conference win of the year. The Purple Aces’ goalkeeper Hugo Amo recorded six saves, while three different Aces found the back of the net, including Izan Redondo, who registered his first collegiate career goal. 
  • Bradley earned its first Valley win of the season on Sunday, shutting out Drake, 1-0. The Braves’ Liam Healey converted a penalty kick goal in the 61st minute of the match, while goalkeeper Marçal Salom Chandre made nine saves en route to the win. 
  • As a team, UIC continues to rank second in Division I in shots per match (18.31) and shots on goal per contest (8.46). 
  • Bowling Green’s Jason Ball leads the nation with a 0.913 save percentage in goal, averaging 5.25 saves per match - the sixth-most in Division I. The keeper also ranks third nationally with a 0.500 goals against average. 
  • Western Michigan’s Vitor Geromel’s 10 goals this season continue to lead the MVC, while he is one of just 18 players in the country with at least 10 goals on the year. 
  • Teammate Alex Lindewirth leads The Valley with 65 saves on the year, while Belmont’s Brody Sucher (61) and Bradley’s Marçal Salom Chandre (60) follow closely behind. All three rank inside the top 25 nationally in the category, as Lindewirth checks in at No. 8.