While much of the talk was with the Bears Football earlier season, the Men’s Soccer team are the quite success story. In 2020 Missouri State had one of its best NCAA Soccer tournament run when they reached to the 3rd round only to University of Washington 2-0. Last year the Bears enter to the tournament as one of the favorites to the National Championship only to lose to Creighton 1-0. This season the Bears Men’s Soccer team are quietly ranked 21 in the national and are currently riding on a 3-game winning streak after beating at Home Belmont 2-0.
The team is led by defender Lewis Green who was recently named player of the week by the College Soccer Men’s National Team of the Week. He was the second Missouri State Men’s Soccer player to receive honors this season after Michael Peck who’s also a defender earned it back on September 13th. Green Also received Missouri Valley Conference Player week for his play during the teams 2-0 victory over Belmont. Another Defender making his name with Bears is Goalie Harry Townsends who’s one of the best in NCAA. He currently holds a season goals against average of .250, and his .750 shutout percentage ranks seventh in the NCAA. The Junior at of Cornwall, England as started every match and played this season. Aadne Bruseth and Kian Yari were both named pre-season Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy player to watch as the highest individual honor that a Division I Soccer player could receive, and it has been awarded every year since 1967.
The Team is coached by Michael Seabolt who took over after Jon Leamy retired after 30 seasons with team. During Leamy’s time he led the Bears to 10 Missouri Valley Conference Regular-Season Championship 3 Conference tournament title’s, 6 NCAA Tournaments and one Sweet 16 appearance in 2020-2021 season. Seabolt hopes to follow in the footsteps of Leamy by leading the Bears success this season. The Men’s Soccer team has had 10 players drafted in Major League Soccer over the last 25 years. One of them is Goalie Matt Pickens who was a member of the Colorado Rapids that won the 2010 Major League Soccer Cup. While Soccer mainly takes a back seat to Football, the Bears current record of 7-1-2 things look very promising to yet another Missouri Valley Conference title and with it is a possible berth to the NCAA tournament and should that happen MSU fans could start traveling on the bus during their run for their first College Soccer National title which undoubtedly is quiet a success story.