Missouri State University

The Bears look to rebound after a disappointing tie against Valparaiso at home last weekend (Sept. 19).  The Bears have played solid soccer the last few weeks but are looking to take a big step against nonconference opponents to get a couple big victories.

The Bears will open their road trip mid-week when they travel to Memphis to face the Tigers on Wednesday (Sept. 24). The Bears enter the match with a 1-3-3 record after a disappointing tie with Valparaiso at home on Sept. 19. The Bears will look to continue their solid play on the road after winning the Nike Classic in Albuquerque, N.M., earlier in the season.

The Tigers have struggled against solid teams this season and enter the match with a 1-6-0 record. The Tigers and Bears are similar teams in that they both have lost close games as a result of lack of offense.  The Bears have shown recently that their offense is starting to click and will look to steal a win when they face the Tigers at Mike Rose Stadium in Memphis, Tenn., on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

The Bears will conclude their road trip with a weekend game against the fifth-ranked St. Louis Billikens who enter the match with a deceptive 3-0-3 record. The Billikens are an extremely tough team but the Bears faced second-ranked Akron and forced a 0-0 tie in double overtime earlier in the season.   The Bears will face the Billikens on Saturday (Sept. 27) at Hermann Stadium in St. Louis at 7:30 p.m.

Alex Riggs, who has 35 saves and an .833 save percentage for the season, will anchor a Missouri State defense that has shown flashes of excellence at times.  The Bears have struggled with mental mistakes throughout the season but have steadily improved defensively each game. Ryan Hennessy will try to build on his offensive momentum this road trip after scoring the only goal in the Bears’ double overtime tie with Valparaiso.