Now entering the home stretch of the 2024 season, there are only a handful of Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) matches left, but still a whole lot to play for.
Let’s dive into the matchups this weekend:
Game of the Weekend: Evansville vs. Bowling Green:
Evansville (7-5-2, 3-2-0) will host Bowling Green (9-3-2, 3-1-1) on Friday at 8 p.m. BGSU and Evansville stand in third and fifth place in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), respectively, with 10 and nine points.
The Aces are 3-0-1 across their last four games, winning their last three conference matchups. The Falcons are coming off a 1-2 loss to Missouri State, their third consecutive league game without a victory.
Sophomore forward Bennett Painter netted his 10th goal of the season against the Bears, making Bowling Green the only team in the country with two double-digit goal scorers. Junior forward Trace Terry also totals 10 goals but will not play against the Aces due to a last-minute red card against Missouri State.
Evansville leads the all-time series 10-4-0 but fell to the Falcons last season, 4-2.
Northern Illinois at Belmont:
Northern Illinois (2-11-0, 0-5-0) will take on Belmont (4-7-3, 1-4-1) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Belmont ranks seventh in the MVC with four points, while NIU takes last with zero.
NIU leads a six-game losing streak and continues to search for their first conference victory this season. The Huskies are outscored by conference opponents 17-5 but have only been shut out once in league play.
Belmont is coming off a 1-0 victory over University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), the Bruins’ first conference victory of the season. Graduate goalkeeper and MVC Defensive Player of the Week Grant Calvert tallied four saves on the night, the first time the Flames have been shutout in league play.
The two teams faced off for the first time last season, ending in a 1-0 victory for the Huskies.
Bradley at No. 9 Western Michigan:
Bradley (4-7-2, 1-4-0) will travel to Kalamazoo on Saturday to play No. 9 Western Michigan (10-0-5, 2-0-3) at noon. Western Michigan is fourth in the MVC with nine points, and Bradley is eighth with three.
WMU graduate midfielder Owen Smith leads the country with 13 assists, and the team ties for second in total goals with 37. The Broncos are the only team in the country without a loss this season, preserving their 36-game unbeaten streak. Their 4-1 win over Detroit Mercy on Tuesday marks the 25th straight game where the Broncos held their opponent to one goal or fewer.
These teams most recently met in November of last season, the Broncos winning 2-0.
Drake vs University of Illinois Chicago (UIC):
Drake (7-3-3, 3-0-2) and UIC (6-7-0, 2-3-0) will face off in Des Moines at 8 p.m. on Saturday. Drake and UIC are second and sixth in the conference standings, with 11 and six points, respectively.
UIC leads a three-game losing streak, coming off a 0-5 dismantling by Notre Dame. Drake most recently defeated Bradley 2-1 after drawing with both Western Michigan and Bowling Green.
Both sides are backed up by strong goalkeeping: graduate student Oren Asher for UIC and freshman Tomas Butkovic for Drake. Asher leads the MVC in saves per game (4.14), with 29 saves in seven games. Butkovic leads the conference in shutouts per game (.385), with five shutouts in 13 games.
Drake trails in the all-time series 3-6-0, losing 4-0 to UIC last season.
