Springfield Standard

Missouri State University's men's soccer team opened its American Conference campaign with a 4-0 win over Temple on Friday night in Springfield. Seniors Daniele Verdirosi and James Jennings each scored their first goals of the season, while Fumiya Shiraishi added two more to his tally.

Shiraishi now leads NCAA Division I in goals per game (1.50) and points per game (3.25). The Bears took control early, with Verdirosi scoring in the 22nd minute off an assist from Adrian Esteban. Three minutes later, Shiraishi converted a penalty kick after a foul, putting Missouri State ahead 2-0.

In the second half, Jennings scored in the 71st minute from a pass by Shiraishi and then assisted Shiraishi’s second goal four minutes later. Missouri State finished with 13 shots, six on target. The defense limited Temple to four shots total, two of which were saved by goalkeeper Will Lowry in the first half.

Coach Michael Seabolt commented on his team's performance: "They played really well and prepared well all week for this encounter. It's a massive night for Missouri State University men's soccer and everything we've been doing. This is our first American Conference game and our first American Conference win so a wonderful debut for our program."

Verdirosi said after the match: "It's a very good feeling because I was waiting for it for a long time and I'm very happy for me and of course for the team for this important first conference win."

Jennings added: "It feels good to get the goal, we've put in a lot of work in these past couple of weeks from the previous game against UCA, we knew that we needed to get a good score line tonight, so everyone was more relentless in this game. Hopefully we can carry that over against Saint Louis on Tuesday."

Looking ahead to their next match at Saint Louis on Tuesday, Coach Seabolt said: "Last year we had a really hard fought draw here at home we know it's going to be a really good team so we're going to recover a bit and then train really well and get ready for Tuesday night in Saint Louis. Hopefully we'll have a lot of alumni out to support us, and we're excited for that game."

The Bears will face Saint Louis University on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 7:00 p.m.