#6 Midwestern State (15-1-1, 12-1-1 HC) vs. Newman (11-7-1, 7-6-1 HC)
Friday, Nov. 2 | 7 p.m.
Stang Park | Wichita Falls, Texas
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com | Watch: Mustangs Digital Network
Series History: MSU Texas leads 14-1-0 | Last Meeting: 1-0 win on the road on Oct. 18, 2018
Trend: Jets have scored two goals all-time at Stang Park
Player to Watch: Jr., F, Ed Jabbari – second team All-Heartland
 
Heartland Conference Tournament Schedule
Tuesday, October 30th
Match 1 - No. 6 Lubbock Christian 2, at No. 3 St. Mary's (Texas) 1
Match 2 - at No. 4 Newman (Kan.) 1, St. Edward's 0
Friday, Nov. 3rd
Stang Park | Wichita Falls, Texas
Match 3 - Semifinal 1 - No. 2 West Texas A&M vs. No. 6 Lubbock Christian, 4:30 p.m.
Match 4 - Semifinal 2 - No. 1 Midwestern State vs. No. 4 Newman (Kan.), 7 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 5th
Stang Park | Wichita Falls, Texas
Match 5 - Championship - Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.
 
WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Sixth-ranked Midwestern State plays at the friendly confines of Stang Park on Friday in the semifinals of the Heartland Conference Tournament. MSU Texas meets Newman at 7 p.m. on Friday and advances to Sunday's final with a win.
 
Storylines
Mustangs Lead Heartland with nine All-Conference performers
Midwestern State led the way with nine All-Heartland selections including five on the first team. West Texas A&M also earned five first-team selections and seven selections overall. The Buffs were followed by Rogers State (5), St. Mary's (4), St. Edward's and Lubbock Christian (3), Newman and Oklahoma Christian (2) and Texas A&M International and UT Permian Basin (1).
 
Ross Fitzpatrick, Rory O'Keeffe, Dylan Burke, Koby Sapon-Amoah and Taylor Lampe received first team accolades.
 
Sergio Lara, Juan Ramirez and Gui Leme garnered second team honors while Erwin Regules was named to the third team.
 
O'Keeffe named Heartland's Defensive Player of the Year
Junior Rory O'Keefe was named the Heartland Defensive Player of the Year after helping lead the Mustangs to a third-straight regular-season championship from his center-back position. O'Keefe anchored a defense that allowed just 11 goals this season which was tied for the fewest goals allowed in the conference. He also was an offensive threat for MSU Texas scoring a team-high six goals on the season. The native of Ireland was also tops in minutes played among position players for the Mustangs.
 
Meachum Honored with Coach of the Year Award
MSU Texas coach Michael Meachum was named the Heartland's Coach of the Year after leading the Mustangs to a third-consecutive regular-season title in his first season at the helm of the program. Meachum took over for legendary coach Doug Elder in August just before the beginning of the season and oversaw a MSU Texas program that climbed as high as No. 1 in the Division II Top 25 and continued the fourth-longest unbeaten streak in NCAA DII history. The Mustangs finished the regular season with a record of 15-1-1 overall and 12-1-1 in conference play.
 
Home Cookin'
The Maroon and Gold are unbeaten in their last 21 matches at the friendly confines of Stang Park, dating back to 2016. Over that span, MSU Texas owns an 19-0-2 record and has outscored opponents 43-10 at home.
 
Both of the Mustangs setbacks this season came on the MSU Practice Soccer Field due to unplayable grass pitch conditions.
 
Road Warriors
The Maroon and Gold are unbeaten in their last 18 road and neutral site contests, going 17-0-1.
 
Sharing The Wealth
MSU Texas boasts the 24^th most potent offense in NCAA DII and second best in the Heartland Conference, averaging 2.53 goals per game.
 
The Mustangs have been balanced offensively with 15 different players combining for 42 goals this season. Additionally, 11 different players have contributed assists, including Juan Ramirez who leads the team with four.
 
A huge part of the offensive success can be attributed to scoring off set pieces. MSU Texas leads the nation with 7.47 corner kicks per game.
 
Suffocating Defense
In 17 matches this season, the back line of the Mustangs has surrendered just 45 shots on goal in 1,564 minutes of action.
 
Seniors Nathan Clark and Alex Mullet, juniors Dylan Burke, Rory O'Keeffe and Koby Sapon-Amoah along with sophomore keeper Taylor Lampe are holding opponents to a 0.63 GAA and seven shutouts. The 0.63 goals allowed average ranks sixth in team-history.
 
Roaring Rory
Junior Rory O'Keeffe has been an ace taking penalty kicks for the Mustangs. The Glanmire, Ireland, native has sunk five PKs on the year, the second most in program history while the six PKs taken by the Maroon and Gold are tied for the most in a single season, matching the six made in 2017.
 
Business in the Front
Senior Alex Mullet doubled his career goals total in MSU with a brace against Rogers State on Saturday. The Edmond, Okla., native has made 73 career starts, the fifth most in school history and is a combined 70-6-6 in his four-year career with the Mustangs.
 
Lampe Leading the Country
Sophomore keeper Taylor Lampe leads all active NCAA DII players with a 0.53 career goals against average. In two seasons, Lampe ranks No. 5 in program history with 25 wins and his 17 career clean sheets match the second most in team history.
 
Up Next
With a win on Friday, the Mustangs host the winner of West Texas A&M and Lubbock Christian in the Heartland Conference Finals at 1 p.m. on Sunday.