Springfield Standard

The Missouri State Bears men's soccer team, ranked No. 23 nationally, will host the Tampa Spartans on Thursday, Aug. 28 at Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium in Springfield, Missouri. The match is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and will be available to watch on ESPN+.

This meeting marks the first time the Bears and Spartans have faced each other on the field. However, there are connections between the programs through coaching staff. Missouri State Associate Head Coach Keith Fulk previously served as both head coach and assistant coach at Tampa. In 2001, Fulk led Tampa to a 19-0-2 record and a Division II National Championship.

Missouri State enters the game with a season record of 1-1. The Bears opened with a 4-1 victory over Seattle, highlighted by senior Fumiya Shiraishi scoring all four goals to tie the school’s individual match record and earning him American Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors. In their next match, MSU fell to Kansas City 2-1; Shiraishi assisted Ollie Bate’s goal.

Under head coach Michael Seabolt, Missouri State has recorded three consecutive seasons with at least 12 wins. Since the start of the 2019 season, MSU holds an overall Division I record of 84-16-10 (.809), which is currently the best in Division I men’s soccer during that span. The team also has a conference record of 46-2-4 (.923) and ranks sixth nationally in home performance with a mark of 46-8-5 (.822). In the previous year, they posted a win percentage of .722.

The Bears have made six straight NCAA tournament appearances since 2019—a streak matched only by Clemson, Georgetown, Indiana, Marshall, Wake Forest and Pittsburgh among Division I teams nationwide.

Missouri State is currently ranked No. 23 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll as of August 26 and has appeared in national rankings for eight consecutive seasons.

Statistically, Missouri State has been among the nation’s most accurate shooting teams over recent years; last season they placed nearly half their shots on target (118 out of 239). They were fourth nationally in shot accuracy for both last season and in 2023.

Senior goalkeeper Will Lowry finished fifth nationally last year in goals against average (.674), conceding just nine goals across more than 1,200 minutes played. Defensively, MSU allowed only fifteen goals last season—tied for ninth fewest nationwide.

This year marks Missouri State's first season competing in the American Conference after spending more than three decades as part of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). During their time in MVC play since 1997, they earned twelve regular-season championships and made nine NCAA Tournament appearances.

In preseason polling for their new conference home this year, MSU was picked to finish fifth but received one first-place vote; they trail second place by just two points according to those polls. Senior Alex Matthews was named preseason all-league selection and appears on this year's Hermann Trophy Watch List—a recognition given annually to college soccer's top player.

Returning players include four who earned all-Missouri Valley Conference honors last season: first-team selection Alex Matthews along with second-team picks James Jennings, Fumiya Shiraishi and Will Lowry.