#6 Midwestern State (16-1-2, 12-1-1 HC) vs. #25 Colorado Mesa (13-3-4, 9-2-3 RMAC)
Sunday, Nov. 11 | 1 p.m.
Stang Park | Wichita Falls, Texas
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com | Watch: Mustangs Digital Network
Series History: MSU Texas leads 5-1-0 | Last Meeting: 3-0 win at home on Nov. 12, 2017 in NCAA DII Second Round
Trend: Mustangs are 4-0 vs. CMU at home
Player to Watch: Sr. GK Briley Guarneri – RMAC Goalkeeper of the Year with 0.95 GAA
 
WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Sixth-ranked Midwestern State received its sixth-straight NCAA Tournament bid and hosts No. 25 Colorado Mesa on Sunday, Nov. 11, at Stang Park in the South Central region semifinals. The Mustangs and Mavericks meet for the fifth-straight year in the postseason at 1 p.m.
 
Storylines
Postseason Run
- Midwestern State received its sixth-straight NCAA Tournament bid, 14^th NCAA bid and 31^st overall national playoff appearance including 17 NAIA tournament runs
- MSU Texas is making its 12^th NCAA postseason showing in the last 13 seasons
- MSU Texas carries a 17-10-4 record in the NCAA Tournament dating back to making its first-ever appearance in 2002
- The Mustangs have hosted 13 NCAA contests at Stang Park in their history with a 9-2-2 record
- The Mustangs advanced to the Final Four in 2007 and 2010 and to the national quarterfinals on seven occasions (2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2016, 2017)
 
Familiar Face
- MSU Texas (16-1-2) meets Colorado Mesa (13-3-4) in the Second Round for the fifth-straight year and welcomes the Mavericks for the fourth-consecutive season
- The Mustangs boast a 5-1 record all time against CMU while eliminating the Mavericks from the postseason in each of the last three meetings.
 
Postseason History vs. CMU
2018 – #6 MSU vs. #25 CMU (Second Round / Wichita Falls, Texas)
2017 – #1 MSU 3-0 over #19 CMU (Second Round / Wichita Falls, Texas)
2016 – #11 MSU 1-0 over #15 CMU (Second Round / Wichita Falls, Texas)
2015 – #2 MSU 4-2 over CMU (Second Round / Wichita Falls, Texas)
2014 – #11 CMU 1-0 over #17 MSU (Second Round / Grand Junction, Colo.)
 
Scouting The Mavericks
- Colorado Mesa finished the regular season with a 13-3-4 record under coach Todd Padgett…the Mavericks feature a balanced attack that ranks 40^th in scoring offense (2.15 goals/game) and 45^th in goals against average (1.087)…senior Briley Guarneri earned RMAC Goalkeeper of the Year accolades with four shutouts and a 0.95 GAA…junior forward Lawan Abary led the team with 14 goals while senior midfielder Kevin Del Mazo distributed 10 assists
 
How They Got Here
- Midwestern State earned its third-straight Heartland Conference regular season title with a 12-1-1 record in league play
- The Mavericks earned the South Central Region's No. 4 seed after advancing to the RMAC Tournament Finals as the league's No. 3 seed. CMU was outed by No. 5 Colorado School of Mines, 2-0, in the championship match.
 
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'Keeffe 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'Keeffe anchored a defense that allowed just 12 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 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 16-1-2 overall and 12-1-1 in conference play
 
Home Cookin'
- The Maroon and Gold are unbeaten in their last 23 matches at the friendly confines of Stang Park, dating back to a 1-0 shutout win over Colorado Mesa in 2016
- Over that span, MSU Texas owns an 20-0-3 record and has outscored opponents 46-11 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 25^th most potent offense in NCAA DII and second best in the Heartland Conference, averaging 2.42 goals per game
- The Mustangs have been balanced offensively with 15 different players combining for 45 goals this season
- Additionally, 11 different players have contributed assists, including Juan Ramirez who leads the team with five
- A huge part of the offensive success can be attributed to scoring off set pieces. MSU Texas leads the nation with 7.53 corner kicks per game
 
Suffocating Defense
- MSU Texas owns the 12^th best defense nationally, posting a goals against average of 0.613
- Sophomore goalkeeper Taylor Lampe ranks 14^th nationally with eight shutouts
- In 19 matches this season, the back line of the Mustangs has allowed 53 shots on goal, an average of 2.79 per game
- Seniors Nathan Clark and Alex Mullet, juniors Dylan Burke, Rory O'Keeffe and Koby Sapon-Amoah along with sophomore keeper Taylor Lampe rank sixth in team history with a 0.61 GAA
 
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 Oct. 20
- The Edmond, Okla., native has made 73 career starts, the fifth most in school history and is a combined 71-6-7 in his four-year career with the Mustangs
 
Lampe Leading the Country
- Sophomore keeper Taylor Lampe leads all active NCAA DII players with a 0.52 career goals against average
- In two seasons, Lampe ranks No. 3 in program history with 26 wins and his 16 career clean sheets are the fourth most in team history
 
Up Next
The winners of both South Central Region games travels west to play the regional final and national quarterfinals at the West Region's host institution on the weekend of Nov. 15. The NCAA Division II Final Four is scheduled for Nov. 29-Dec. 1 at Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa.