As we enter the final two weeks of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) regular season, no teams have been counted out of postseason play.
The current top five teams in the standings, Missouri State (16 points), Drake (14), Evansville (12), Western Michigan (10) and Bowling Green (10), are guaranteed to finish in the top six, qualifying for the conference tournament.
UIC (six), Bradley (four), Belmont (four), and Northern Illinois (three) compete for the final spot.
Paskus’ goal earns Huskies their first points in conference play
Northern Illinois (3-11-0, 1-5-0) found their first conference victory of the season on Friday, defeating Belmont (4-8-3, 1-5-1), 1-0.
With this result, NIU stays in the running for sixth place in the standings.
With only one game remaining, Belmont must win to keep any chance of making the playoffs. Even with a win, Belmont will be tied for sixth with UIC or Bradley, depending on other results. Considering head-to-head, only a tie with UIC will send Belmont through.
Although the Bruins managed a season-high 16 shots throughout Friday’s match, they were unable to find the back of the net. An 89th-minute blast from midfielder Grant Paskus was the deciding factor in the Huskie’s victory and the freshman’s first career goal.
Evansville wins fourth straight conference matchup
Evansville (8-5-2, 4-2-0) extended their unbeaten streak to five with a 1-0 victory over Bowling Green (9-4-2, 3-2-1) on Friday. Both teams are guaranteed a spot in the post-season tournament, and four points for the Aces could earn them a first-place finish.
In the 60th minute, graduate forward Sami Owusu gave the Aces the lead. 20 minutes later, BG earned a penalty kick, taken by senior midfielder Alberto Anaya. Freshman goalkeeper Michal Mroz stepped up for Evansville, saving the penalty kick and preserving the Aces’ lead.
Bradley shuts out No. 9 Western Michigan
No. 9 Western Michigan (10-0-6, 2-0-4) tallied their fourth conference draw on Saturday with a scoreless tie against Bradley (4-7-3, 1-4-1). Western Michigan has secured a spot in tournament play and preserves a chance for a first-place finish, given they win out.
If Bradley wins their final two matchups, they secure their spot in the tournament. One win would be enough for a chance at post-season play, dependent on the results of other matches.
Saturday’s result marked the first point earned by Bradley against a top-15 opponent in 4,042 days. Junior goalkeeper Drew Berry made eight saves for the Braves, the first goalkeeper to shut out the Broncos all season.
UIC drops three crucial points at Drake
Drake (8-3-3, 4-0-2) remained unbeaten in conference play with a 1-0 win against UIC (6-8-0, 2-4-0) on Saturday. Drake guaranteed themselves a spot in postseason play and would take first place with wins against NIU and Missouri State.
At least four points for UIC will secure them a spot in the playoffs, meaning two wins or one win and one tie.
Drake freshman forward Preston Kipnusu scored the Bulldogs’ lone goal in the seventh minute of Saturday’s competition, his fourth of the season. UIC pushed for an equalizer, outshooting Drake 6-3 in the second half, but were unable to capitalize.
