No. 8 Midwestern State vs St. Mary's
Friday, Nov. 11 – 7:30 p.m.
Stang Park (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series: MSU leads 33-3
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WICHITA FALLS, Texas – No. 8 Midwestern State (15-2, 7-1 LSC) hosts rival St. Mary's (13-6, 5-3 LSC) in the Lone Star Conference Tournament semi-final match. The big game is set for Friday, Nov. 12, at Stang Park with kick-off slated for 7:30 p.m.
 

FIVE STORY LINES

1 |  Trevor Amann continues to top the Mustangs and the LSC in scores, sitting at 16 for the season. The senior ranks sixth in the NCAA Division II with the feat. Four of the goals counted as game-winners, which is tied for first in the conference with teammate Mere Escobar. The two rank 20th in DII for game-winning goals. Amann's average of 0.94 goals per game also leads the Lone Star Conference and sits seventh in the nation. With six assists, the forward earned a conference best 38 points, putting him sixth in the NCAA. His average of 2.24 points per game also leads the LSC and is in the top ten of Division II. Amann is the top shooter in the nation with 4.94 attempts per game while his 2.18 average shots on goal ranks ninth. His total of 84 shots on the season sits seventh in MSU' all-time record books. For his career at Midwestern State, the Westminster, Colo., native accumulated 28 goals and 11 assists for 67 points. In addition, he notched six game-winners in over 3,000 minutes.

 
2 |  Julian Barajas is the top assister for Midwestern State with nine helpers on the season. The senior leads the Lone Star Conference and ranks 14th in the NCAA Division II. His average of 0.53 also tops the LSC and is 19th in the nation. Barajas turned in two game-winning goals against Oklahoma Christian (10/02) and UT Tyler (10/20). The midfielder adds four goals for 17 total points, which earns sixth in the conference. Carlos Flores is second in the LSC behind Barajas with seven assists on the season. The senior sits 40th in DII with the feat. His average of 0.41 helpers per match is also second in the conference and 52nd in the NCAA. Flores notched six goals to total a team third-highest 19 points and rank fourth in the Lone Star Conference. The midfielder also completed two game-winners against Westminster (9/16) and UT Permian Basin (11/03).

 
3 |  Mere Escobar's 25 points lands second on the team and third in the conference. His ten total goals earns third for the LSC and while his five helpers sits sixth in the Lone Star. The midfielder possesses a conference fourth-highest 1.35 shots on goal average and 2.71 shots per game. Escobar's most recent game-winning goal of his four total came at Dallas Baptist (10/30) in his second brace of the season. He attempted 46 shots with 23 finding the goal frame in 1,254 minutes. Escobar claimed 16 starts in 17 appearances this season while making 19 starts in 28 game for his career. In two years, he notched 15 goals, five assists and 35 points. The Austin, Texas native saw 67 shots with 39 on goal and five game-clinchers.
 
4 |  After gaining just their second loss of the season, Midwestern State dropped down the United Soccer Coaches' poll to the eighth spot. MSU was placed at No. 22 in the Sept. 7 poll and climbed to No. 18 and 10 in the following weeks. After Sept. 28, Midwestern State dropped to No. 12 after falling to West Texas A&M, but quickly bounced back up to No. 11 and No. 8. The Mustangs stood two weeks at the seventh place before taking their highest rank of the season at No. 6 on Nov. 3.

 
5 |  Midwestern State slipped to No. 2 in the third edition of the Super Region Four Rankings released Wednesday afternoon by the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Committee. The release is the final ranking of the regular season and will be followed by the unveiling of the tournament field via a selection show on NCAA.com set for 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 16. The full rankings are below.
 

Rank	School	In-Region Record	D2 Record
1	California State, Los Angeles	12-2-2	12-2-2
2	Midwestern State	13-2	15-2
3	Colorado School of Mines	14-4-1	14-4-1
4	West Texas A&M	12-3	13-3
5	Cal Poly Pomona	11-3-3	11-3-3
6	Azusa Pacific (Calif.)	10-2-2	10-2-2
7	Colorado Mesa	15-3-1	15-3-1
8	Colorado State-Pueblo	14-4-2	14-4-2
9	Seattle Pacific (Wash.)	11-2-2	11-2-2
10	Biola (Calif.)	11-5	11-5
11	California State, San Bernardino	10-4-3	10-4-3
12	California State, Dominguez Hills	10-5-1	10-5-1

 

HEAD COACH MICHAEL MEACHUM is in the midst of his fourth season as head coach at Midwestern State and his 10th overall in Wichita Falls. He served the first seven years as top assistant for Doug Elder. During that time, Meachum helped the Mustangs reach two NCAA Division II South Central Region finals and to the national quarterfinals. Meachum boasts a 54-11-4 record (.816) since taking the reins of the program prior to the 2018 season. He has led the Mustangs to the 2018 Heartland Conference title, the 2019 Lone Star Conference postseason tournament crown and to two NCAA Division II postseason appearances in 2018 and 2019. Prior to MSU, Meachum served as an assistant at NAIA Bethany College (Kan.) and Hastings (Neb.), at Division I Oral Roberts and Division II Northeastern State.

 
SERIES WITH THE RATTLERS

In 36 matches, Midwestern State took home wins in 33 game and dropped only three. Up until 2019, the Mustangs held a 30 match win streak against St. Mary's. In Lone Star Conference play, MSU holds a 7-2 advantage and a 17-1 record at Stang Park. The two teams last faced off on Oct. 27 during the regular season when the Mustangs overtook No. 24 StMU by a 2-1 score at Stang Park. MSU and the Rattlers faced off in the 2020 LSC Tournament semifinals on April 10, 2021. The Mustangs grabbed a 2-0 victory over the No. 18 Rattlers to move on to the finals.