Action around the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) continues to be intense and competitive.
Here are some of the highlights from the this past week:
Missouri State establishes itself as a top contender in the MVC
Missouri State men’s soccer (7-2-1, 3-0-1 MVC) hosted Northern Illinois (2-9-0, 0-3-0 MVC) on Sunday in a MVC matchup.
An early red card by NIU sophomore goalkeeper Atahan Arslan left the Huskies a man down for the remaining 80 minutes of play.
Missouri State’s scoring took off soon after, with an own goal by the Huskies in the 13th minute.
The Bears scored six more goals before the final whistle, with senior forward Fumiya Shiraishi and redshirt senior forward James Jennings netting two apiece.
The Bears outshot the Huskies 20-1, with seven shots on goal to NIU’s zero.
“The guys were ready to play,” said Missouri head coach Michael Seabolt. “We forced the issue and were able to score early and keep going. I’m proud of the guys’ effort. We talked about focusing on the team concept and taking ownership, and everybody did that tonight.”
Missouri State now tops the MVC with ten points and rides a seven-game unbeaten streak.
The Bears have a total of six season shutouts and redshirt senior goalkeeper Will Lowry leads the MVC in goals against average (.374).
Northern Illinois takes last in the conference standings as the only team with zero points. The Huskies also hold the highest goals against average in the MVC (3.182), allowing 35 goals in 11 games.
No. 11 Western Michigan earns third MVC draw at Drake
No. 11 Western Michigan (7-0-5, 1-0-3 MVC) traveled to Des Moines, Iowa, to face Drake (6-3-2, 2-0-1 MVC) on Saturday.
Both teams entered the matchup undefeated in conference play, looking to move towards the top of the standings.
Drake struck first, with freshman midfielder Chase Wakefield nutmegging the Broncos goalkeeper in the 13th minute.
The scoreline remained 1-0 for the remainder of the first half, with the Bulldogs leading at the break.
Early in the second half, WMU graduate midfielder Owen Smith would find an equalizer, with the match ultimately ending in a 1-1 tie.
Drake outshot WMU 8-5; however, both teams managed three shots on goal.
“Owen [Smith] took his chance well, but besides that chance, Drake’s goalkeeper didn’t have to deal with much at all,” WMU head coach Chad Wiseman stated after the match.
Although they lead a 33-game unbeaten streak, the Broncos total three draws in MVC play, standing in the middle of the conference with six points through four games.
Drake takes third place with seven points in three games.
Bradley defeats Belmont for first MVC victory
Bradley (4-6-1, 1-3-0 MVC) took on Belmont (2-6-3, 0-3-1 MVC) on Saturday as both teams searched for their first conference victory.
The Braves took the lead in the 56th minute thanks to a header by sophomore forward Ian Ferguson. The goal was enough for the Braves to secure the three points and record their first win in MVC play.
With this result, Bradley totals three points and ranks seventh in the MVC. The Bruins remain winless in the conference and currently occupy eighth place with one point.
UIC snaps Bowling Green’s six-game unbeaten streak
UIC (6-4-0, 2-1-0 MVC) played Bowling Green (8-2-1, 3-1-0 MVC) on Saturday, taking on MVC players of the week, junior forward Trace Terry and fifth-year goalkeeper Brendan Graves.
UIC redshirt senior forward Bart Muns scored twice for the Flames, earning the lead in the 13th minute and doubling it in the 71st.
Bowling Green responded quickly with a penalty kick goal by junior forward Trace Terry, but the scoring ended there, and UIC went on to win 2-1.
With this result, the Falcons fall to second place in the conference with nine points, and UIC takes fourth with six.
