We are in the second half of Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play, with all teams having either four or three conference matches left.

The final stretch is almost here, which means the intensity of the matches will be ramped up.

Let’s dive into this weekend:

Game of the weekend: Bowling Green at No. 15 Missouri State — Terry, Painter and the Falcons take on Barea and the Bears: 

Bowling Green (9-2-2, 3-1-1) will travel to No. 15 Missouri State (9-2-1, 4-0-1) on Sunday at 8 p.m. in a top of the conference showdown. The Bears are first in the MVC with 13 points, while the Falcons come second with 10. 

Bowling Green has outscored foes 28-14 and ranks ninth nationally in total assists (32). Missouri State has outscored their opponents 27-10, ranking 12th nationally in shot accuracy (.497) and shutout percentage (.500). 

With three forwards across the two teams making Top Drawer Soccer’s (TDS) midseason top 100 list, both teams prove to be strong offensive threats. Missouri State senior Jesus Barea was ranked No. 28 by TDS and stands second nationally in total goals (12). The forward from Spain also ranks first in shots on goal per game (3.00), second in goals per game (1.00) and third in total points (26).  

BGSU junior forward Trace Terry and reigning MVC Offensive Player of the Week, sophomore forward Bennett Painter, were ranked No. 16 and No. 53 by TDS, respectively.

Terry is seventh nationally in total goals (10), second in game-winning goals (four) and fifth in shots on goal per game (2.17). Painter ranks 13th in total goals (nine) and is tied with Terry at 14th in total points (21). 

Bowling Green and Missouri State have only faced off once since 2000, with Missouri State winning 5-2 last season.  

Belmont at University of Illinois Chicago (UIC): 

Belmont (3-7-3, 0-4-1) will play UIC (6-5-0, 2-2-0) on Friday at 8 p.m. in a Missouri Valley Conference matchup. The Bruins and Flames rank eighth and fifth in the conference, with one and six points, respectively.  

Belmont is coming off a 1-2 loss to No. 15 Missouri State and is one of two MVC teams without a conference victory this season. The Bruins total the fewest goals of any MVC team, with 11 goals in 13 games. 

UIC leads the all-time series 7-1-1, defeating Belmont twice last season. 

Northern Illinois vs. Evansville: 

Evansville (6-5-2, 2-2-0) will travel to DeKalb to take on Northern Illinois (2-10-0, 0-4-0) Saturday at 8 p.m. Evansville ranks sixth in the conference with six points, while NIU sits in last with zero. 

The Purple Aces have won their last two MVC matchups and are coming off a 2-2 tie with Louisville. NIU is riding a five-game losing streak, most recently falling to Western Michigan last weekend.

Evansville freshman goalkeeper Michal Mroz was awarded with MVC Defensive Player of the Week honors after making eight saves in their win against UIC. Mroz averages 3.69 saves per game, the second highest mark in the conference.  

Evansville leads the all-time series 3-0, defeating the Huskies 2-0 last season. 

Bradley vs. Drake: 

Bradley (4-6-2, 1-3-0) will host Drake (6-3-3, 2-0-2) on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Bulldogs and Braves occupy fourth and seventh place in the conference, respectively, with eight and three points. 

Although Bradley carries just one conference win, the Braves are coming off a 1-1 draw with Kentucky.

Drake is also coming off a tie, drawing 0-0 with BGSU last weekend. The Bulldogs rank 11th nationally in shot percentage (.500). 

Although Drake leads the all-time series 27-21-5, Bradley won the most recent matchup 2-1.