Springfield Standard

The Missouri State Bears men's soccer team will travel to St. Louis to face No. 24 Saint Louis on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at Hermann Stadium. The match is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff.

Missouri State enters the contest with a 3-1-1 record this season and recently secured a 4-0 victory over Temple in their American Conference opener. The team's offense has been led by Fumiya Shiraishi, who has contributed to nine of the twelve goals scored by the Bears so far this season. Shiraishi currently leads NCAA Division I in goals per game (1.60) and points per game (3.60). He is also the first player in program history to win three American Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors in a single season.

Saint Louis holds a historical advantage in the series with nine wins, no losses, and seven draws against Missouri State. Their most recent meeting ended in a scoreless tie last October.

Under head coach Michael Seabolt, Missouri State has achieved three consecutive seasons with at least twelve wins. Since 2019, Missouri State has posted an overall record of 86-16-11 (.810), which is the best among Division I programs during that span. The Bears also have recorded a conference mark of 47-2-4 (.925) and ranked fifth nationally in home winning percentage at .823 since 2019.

In addition, Missouri State was one of only seven Division I teams—including Clemson, Georgetown, Indiana, Marshall, Wake Forest and Pittsburgh—to qualify for every NCAA tournament since 2019.

The team’s defensive performance has also stood out; senior goalkeeper Will Lowry ranked fifth nationally last year with a goals-against average of .674 and allowed just nine goals over more than 1,200 minutes played. Overall, the Bears’ defense conceded only fifteen goals last season—tied for ninth-fewest nationally.

Missouri State began competing in the American Conference this year after spending thirty-four seasons in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), where they claimed twelve regular-season titles and four conference tournament championships since 1997.

In preseason polling for their new conference home, MSU was picked to finish fifth but received one first-place vote and are just two points behind second place in what appears to be a close race. Alex Matthews was named preseason all-league selection and is on the Hermann Trophy Watch List for national player of the year honors.

The Bears return four players who earned All-Missouri Valley Conference recognition last season: Alex Matthews (first team), James Jennings (second team), Fumiya Shiraishi (second team), and Will Lowry (second team).

Missouri State’s consistent performance has kept them ranked or receiving votes in United Soccer Coaches Polls for eight straight seasons. The program has also excelled offensively with top-eight national rankings in shot accuracy each of the past two years.