No. 6 Midwestern State vs UT Permian Basin
Wednesday, Nov. 3 – 7:30 p.m.
Stang Park (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series: MSU leads 10-0
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WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- No. 6 Midwestern State takes on UT Permian Basin in what could be the match the clinches the Lone Star Conference title for the Mustangs. The Wednesday, Nov. 3 game also honors the graduating seniors from the team. Kick-off is set for 7:30 p.m. at Stang Park.

FIVE STORY LINES

1 |  Trevor Amann posted the opening goal last Wednesday against St. Mary's (10/27) to make his total goal count at 12 for the 2021 season. The forward leads the Lone Star Conference in total goals to earn 14th in NCAA Division II and in goals per game (0.80) to rank 19th in DII. Amann's 12 points is also first in the LSC for 14th in the NCAA and 1.87 points per game tops the conference and puts him 21st in Division II. In addition, the senior's 72 shots tops the Lone Star Conference while his average of 4.80 are first in the LSC and second in NCAA Division II. Amann sits tenth in MSU's all-time record book for career shots with 147 and 12th for career shots on goal with 65. The forward put up 29 shots on frame to earn first in the LSC and his 1.93 per match are the top of the conference and 17th in DII. Amann is tied with fellow Mustang Mere Escobar with four game-winning goals to top the LSC. For his career, the Westminster, Colo., native accumulated 24 goals and 9 assists for 57 points. In addition, he notched six game-winners in 2,882 minutes.

Gustavo Barroso leads UT Permian Basin with 11 points, split into five goals and one assist in 15 starts. The junior also amasses the team with 43 attempts and 21 shots on goal for a 0.488 shot on goal percent.

2 |  Julian Barajas notched an assist in Amann's goal versu StMU to tally seven on the season. He ranks first in the Lone Star Conference and 30th in NCAA Division II in total helpers. Barajas' average of 0.47 assists per game also leads the LSC and earns a 36th position in DII. The midfielder adds four goals to post a conference sixth best 15 points and seventh highest 1.00 points per game. The senior notched two game-winning goals against Oklahoma Christian (10/02) and UT Tyler (10/20). In 15 starts, Barajas notched 17 shots and put seven on frame for a 0.412 shot on goal percent. In his four year career at Midwestern State, he collected 30 game started in 80 appearances to complete almost 4,000 minutes on the pitch. The Fort Worth, Texas native put up 99 shots with 44 on goal and punched 15 goals and 17 assists for 47 points. He has six game-clinchers to his name as well.

Salvador Vargas Ramos tops the Falcons with four assists and adds one goal for six points. The senior punched 19 shots and landed eight on frame in 12 starts.

3 |  Mere Escobar continues to stun with his nine goal and four assist performance this season. The forward's two goal week landed him his second Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors on Nov. 2. Escobar's 22 points lands second on the team, third in the conference and 46th for NCAA Division II. His total goals earns third for the LSC and 44th for DII while his helpers sit sixth in the Lone Star. The midfielder possesses a conference third-highest 1.40 shots on goal average and fourth-best 2.73 shots per game. His shot accuracy of 0.512 leads the LSC and earns an 86th rank in the NCAA. 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 41 shots with 21 finding the goal frame in 1,088 minutes. Escobar claimed 14 starts in 15 appearances this season while making 17 starts in 26 game for his career. In two years, he notched 14 goals, four assists and 32 points. The Austin, Texas native saw 62 shots with 37 on goal and five game-clinchers in 1, 524 minutes.

4 |  With a win or tie over the Falcons, MSU are the regular season champs for the conference and will host the semifinals and championship game of the Lone Star Conference Championship Tournament. If the Mustangs take a win over No. 22 West Texas on Saturday, Nov. 6, the team will have reached a feat of no other LSC team by completing a perfect conference regular season record. Midwestern State would have not taken a loss in eight of the conference matches. Thus far, MSU has collected a 14-1 season, gaining a 0.933 winning percent. This is the best winning percentage for Midwestern State since the 2017 season when the team completed the 18 match regular season without a loss for a 0.935 percentage. That year, the team went 18-0-2 in the regular season with a 12-0-2 record in the Heartland Conference. MSU added two more wins in their run to the Heartland Conference Championship where they lifted the trophy after a 1-0 win over St. Edward's.

5 |   In the most recent release of the United Soccer Coaches College Rankings, Midwestern State climbed to the sixth spot in the polls. In the first poll of the season, the Mustangs claimed the 23rd spot and quickly moved up the ranks from there. With defeats over No. 25 Northeastern State and No. 9 Rogers State, MSU were selected to No. 18 for the second poll of 2021. The team continued the climb after claiming victories against Westminster and No. 19 Simon Fraser in the MSU Classic. After dropping to No. 3 West Texas A&M (9/22), Midwestern State fell to the twelfth spot and picked up to 11 with wins over Lubbock Christian (9/29) and Oklahoma Christian (10/02). With a defeat over Oklahoma Christian in the first conference match, MSU broke the top ten of the polls for the first time this season. Subsequent victories against Lubbock Christian (10/16), UT Tyler (10/20) and Texas A&M International (10/23) led to the seventh rank while wins versus St. Mary's and DBU helped to find number six. The full rankings are listed below.

Poll No. 9 -- November 3, 2021
Records are shown through games of Oct. 31, 2021

Rank	School	Record	Previous
1	Young Harris College	15-0-1	3
2	Palm Beach Atlantic University	12-1-0	4
3	Davis & Elkins College	14-0-2	2
4	Franklin Pierce University	15-1-0	5
5	University of Charleston	14-1-1	6
6	Midwestern State University	14-1-0	7
7	University of Indianapolis	12-1-2	1
8	California State University-Los Angeles	11-2-2	8
9	University of Tampa	12-2-0	9
10	Azusa Pacific University	12-2-1	19
11	Maryville University of St. Louis	13-3-1	10
12	Colorado School of Mines	14-3-1	17
13	University of Montevallo	12-2-2	15
14	Wilmington University	14-2-1	13
15	Limestone University	9-3-1	11
16	Colorado Mesa University	14-3-1	12
17	Lynn University	11-3-0	18
18	Seattle Pacific University	10-2-1	14
19	Gannon University	13-1-2	16
20	Lake Erie College	12-3-1	RV
21	Lenoir-Rhyne University	9-4-1	NR
22	West Texas A&M University	11-3-0	25
23	American International College	12-2-1	23
24	Cal Poly Pomona	11-2-3	RV
25	Fort Hays State University	10-4-2	NR

Others Receiving Votes: Rogers State University, University of West Florida, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Chowan University, Auburn University Montgomery, Lock Haven University, Colorado State-Pueblo

 

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 53-10-4 record (.821) 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 FALCONS

Midwestern State and UT Permian Basin first faced-off in 2007 when MSU took home the first of ten straight wins. The series still sits with the Mustangs at a 10-0 advantage over the Falcons. In Lone Star Conference play, Midwestern State owns five wins starting in 2016. When home at Stang Park, MSU is 4-0 as well. The last three meetings' location was Odessa, Texas, with UTPB dropping all three. The Falcons have yet to score a goal on MSU with all ten matches in the series resulting in a Mustang shutout.
  

--MSUMustangs.com--