Men’s Soccer Hosts Northern Illinois for First Time on Sunday - Missouri State (2024)

Men's Soccer

Missouri State (6-2-1, 2-0-1 MVC) vs. Northern Illinois (2-8-0, 0-2-0 MVC)
DateSunday, October 6 | 7:00 p.m. CT
LocationSpringfield, Missouri
SiteBetty & Bobby Allison South Stadium
AdmissionFree
PromotionWhite Out Night (Wear White)
Bag PolicyBag Policy - Missouri State (missouristatebears.com)
Follow AlongESPN+|Live Stats|Game Notes (PDF)
Missouri StateTwitter|Instagram|Facebook

SPRINGFIELD - Missouri State men's soccer (6-2-1, 2-0-1 Missouri Valley Conference) returns home for the first time in three weeks as it welcomes Northern Illinois (2-8, 0-2 MVC) to Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium for the first time in series history Sunday, Oct. 6 at 7:00 p.m. CT. Admission is free.

On the Pitch
  • Missouri State is coming off back-to-back 12-win seasons under head coach Michael Seabolt, who is in his third season at the helm of the program. MoState has won at least 12 games each season since 2019.
  • Since the beginning of the 2019 season, Missouri State men's soccer holds the best Division I overall record of 77-13-9 (.823), best conference record of 41-2-4 (.915) and second-best home record of 43-6-4 (.849), behind Hofstra (41-4-5, .870). The Bears were tied for the 18th-best win percentage in 2023 (.711).
  • MSU has made five straight NCAA appearances, joining Kentucky, Indiana, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, New Hampshire, Georgetown, Marshall and Clemson as the only nine DI teams in the nation to make every tournament since 2019.
  • Missouri State is 5-0-1 in its last six matches and added to its win total with a clutch 1-0 win over Creighton at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City. Senior forward Fumiya Shiraishi scored with 50 seconds left to secure the win on an assist from Senior forward Jesus Barea.
  • MoState's last four goals have come in the 80th minute or later. The Bears scored two in the last seven minutes to seal a win over UIC (Sept. 21), one against No. 11 Western Michigan (Sept. 28) to come away with a tie and Shiraishi's last-minute goal against Creighton (Oct. 1). Six of MoState's last seven goals have come in the 74th minute or later.
  • Senior goalkeeper Will Lowry had a career performance against Creighton. In his fourth career start, the Kansas native put up a career-high five saves in his first career solo shutout, including a key diving stop with five minutes left.
  • Barea's 10 goals this season matches UMass' Alec Hughes and Notre Dame's Matthew Roou for most in the nation.
  • Barea, Hughes and Roou lead the nation in goals per game (1.11). Barea holds sole possession of the nation lead in points per game (2.44), shots per game (5.33) and shots on goal per game (3.56).
  • MoState has the eighth-highest shot accuracy in DI with 63 of 118 shots being on goal (.534). Missouri State was fourth in that category last season with 124 of 240 shots being on goal (.517). Barea is tied for eighth in DI in individual shot accuracy with 32 of 48 shots being on goal (.667). He was fourth in shot accuracy last year (.604).
  • Barea is third all-time in Missouri State history in goals (29) and points (75) and is second in shots (228). He trails Jamal Sutton (2000-03) by eight career shots (236) for the program record. Barea had seven against Creighton.
  • Barea's 48 shots this season match his total in both 2021 and 2023. He had a career-best 58 shots in 2022.
  • Missouri State's stifling defense has allowed two goals during its six-match unbeaten streak. The Bears have only allowed 10 shots on goal in that span. MoState is outshooting opponents 118-58 across the season.
  • Senior goalkeeper Harry Townsend's 25 career solo shutouts are the second most among active DI goalkeepers behind Duke's Wessel Speel with 26. Townsend is tied with Liam Priestley for third in shutouts in program history, two shy of Michael Creek's record of 27.

Series History vs. Northern Illinois

  • The Missouri State Bears and Northern Illinois Huskies go head-to-head for the fifth time overall and the first time ever in Springfield. The all-time series is tied 2-2.
  • Northern Illinois won the first two matchups in 1990 at home in DeKalb and 1991 at the Eastern Illinois Classic before the Bears got their first win over the Huskies in 1999 at the University of New Mexico Tournament.
  • The two teams played as conference rivals for the first time last season in DeKalb to open conference play. The Bears defeated the Huskies, 3-0, with goals from Barea and forward Pablo Guillen. Barea also had an assist in the match.

Scouting the Huskies
  • Northern Illinois enters Sunday's match 2-8 with an 0-2 MVC record. The Huskies hold wins against Chicago State (Aug. 25) and Mercyhurst (Sept. 16). NIU is riding a three-matching losing streak.
  • The Huskies fell to UIC, 4-2, last time out on Sept. 28. The Flames jumped to a 3-0 lead before the Huskies got on the board in the 75th minute. UIC responded with its fourth goal 25 seconds later.
  • Northern Illinois has the fifth-worst save percentage in the nation (.562), only ahead of USC Upstate (.545), Marist (.542), Duke (.536) and Detroit Mercy (.458). NIU also has the seventh-worst goal differential in the nation, allowing 16 more goals than it has made.
  • Eight Northern Illinois players combine for the team's 12 goals this season. Senior forward Kevin Kelly leads the team with three goals. He scored in consecutive matches against Green Bay (Sept. 1) and Kansas City (Sept. 6). He also scored in NIU's recent outing against UIC (Sept. 28). Junior midfielder Jose Gomez and junior forward Taylor Davis each have two goals to round out Huskies with multiple goals this season.
  • NIU has used two goalkeepers this season. Redshirt freshman Caleb Pearson has played seven of the team's 10 matches. Pearson has 24 saves on 22 goals allowed. The Huskies are 1-6 in those matches. Sophomore Atahan Arslan has played the other three matches, including the most recent one against UIC. Arslan 12 saves on six goals allowed. NIU is 1-2 in games he has played. Arslan played three matches last season and went 2-0-1 with a shutout at Marquette.

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Players Mentioned

#10 Jesus Barea

F
5' 9"
Senior

#11 Pablo Guillen

F
5' 10"
Senior

#30 Will Lowry

GK
6' 0"
Redshirt Senior

#1 Harry Townsend

GK
6' 0"
Senior

#17 Fumiya Shiraishi

F
5' 7"
Senior

Players Mentioned

#10 Jesus Barea

5' 9"
Senior
F

#11 Pablo Guillen

5' 10"
Senior
F

#30 Will Lowry

6' 0"
Redshirt Senior
GK

#1 Harry Townsend

6' 0"
Senior
GK

#17 Fumiya Shiraishi

5' 7"
Senior
F

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