Game of the weekend: Missouri State at No. 11 Western Michigan: Can Missouri State finally be the team to beat Western Michigan?
Missouri State (5-2-0, 2-0-0 MVC) will travel to take on No. 11 Western Michigan (6-0-3, 1-0-1 MVC) on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Western Michigan is one of just 13 NCAA Division I programs that are still undefeated in 2024, as they hope to extend their unbeaten streak to 31 matches this weekend. The Broncos have not been shutout this season and lead the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) in goals allowed per game (0.78).
A big part of the Bronco’s success has been senior goalkeeper Colin Welsh, who was honored as MVC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season.
Welsh leads the conference in goals against average (.778), only conceding on two of 24 combined shots from Dayton and Evansville last week. The senior also takes second in the MVC in save percentage (.800) and shutouts (two) to round up his resumé.
Missouri State is one of three teams in the conference without a tie or a loss and is riding a four-match winning streak, most recently defeating UIC 3-1.
The Bears lead the MVC in shots on goal per game (7.29), largely due to senior forward Jesus Barea. Barea is credited with nine of Missouri’s 13 goals, leading the nation in goals per game (1.29).
Belmont at Bowling Green
Belmont (2-3-3, 0-1-1 MVC) will travel to Bowling Green (7-1-1, 2-0-0 MVC) on Friday at 7 p.m. in search of their first MVC win.
After shocking the conference with a 1-1 draw against No. 11 Western Michigan, Belmont dropped their most recent match to Drake, 0-4.
Bowling Green carries a five-match unbeaten streak, including two MVC victories and a 5-0 blowout of Eastern Illinois.
Bowling Green junior forward Trace Terry has totaled five goals in the Falcons’ last three games, earning MVC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Terry is tied for third place in goals (three) and second in game-winning goals (three) nationally.
Belmont leads the series 2-0, defeating the Falcons 2-1 last season.
Northern Illinois vs. UIC
Northern Illinois (2-7-0, 0-1-0 MVC) will host local rival UIC (4-4-0, 0-1-0 MVC) on Saturday at 8 p.m. in both teams’ second match of MVC competition.
NIU and UIC’s conference losses come from two strong MVC opponents in Bowling Green and Missouri State, respectively.
The Huskies rank last in the MVC in goals per game (1.11) and goals allowed per game (2.67) and have been outscored by their opponents 24-10.
NIU trails in the series 9-19-3, losing to UIC 0-2 last season.
Bradley vs. Evansville
Bradley (3-5-1, 0-2-0) hosts Evansville (4-5-1, 0-2-0) on Saturday at 8 p.m. at Shea Stadium during their homecoming weekend.
Both teams are 0-4-1 across their last five matches and have yet to find a result in MVC play.
