LIVE STATS

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville men’s soccer team will open Missouri Valley Conference play Wednesday night in Springfield, Mo., as the Aces will take on Missouri State at 7 p.m.
 
The Aces (6-4-0, 0-0-0 MVC) will be the last team in the Valley to play a conference game, as the majority of the league opened its MVC slate this past weekend.  UE will be looking to bounce back from a 2-0 loss to Marshall, as Evansville outshot the Thundering Herd, 13-8, but failed to put an attempt past MU keeper Daniel Withrow, who recorded his eighth shutout of the season, establishing a single-season school record for Marshall.
 
UE has been involved in six shutouts in its last seven games, recording clean sheets against Cincinnati, Oral Roberts and Eastern Illinois, while being shut out by Butler, Kentucky and the aforementioned Thundering Herd.
 
Freshman forward Faik Hajderovic leads Evansville with 13 points on four goals and five assists, while fellow freshman Mark Anthony Gonzalez, senior Jesse Sharp and sophomore Dylan Terry are all tied for second on the team with six points apiece.  In goal, Eric Teppen has posted a 1.51 goals against average with 42 saves and a pair of shutouts in nearly 893 minutes.
 
Missouri State (5-3-3, 0-1-0 MVC) lost its conference opener against Bradley Saturday in Springfield, falling 1-0 to the Braves, marking the fourth-straight  game for the Bears that ended in a 1-0 final score.  MSU has lost three of its last four, falling to Dartmouth, Xavier and Bradley with its win coming against Memphis.  As a team, Missouri State is outscoring opponents 11-6, including a 7-1 margin in the first half, and leads the Valley in scoring defense with a 0.51 goals against average.
 
Cole Alexander leads the Bears with six points on three goals this season, while Jared Gain has tallied five points on a goal and a team-high three assists.  Seven other Bears have recorded at least one point this season and five others have scored a goal.  Goalkeeper Andrew Riggs has played every minute in goal for MSU and leads the league with a 0.51 goals against average, six shutouts and .850 save percentage.  Riggs’ 34 saves are fourth-best in the conference.  
 
Missouri State leads the all-time series, 13-8-3, and defeated Evansville, 3-0, last season at Arad McCutchan Stadium by scoring all three of its goals in the second half.  The Aces will be looking for their first win over the Bears since 2009, when they prevailed, 2-1, in overtime.