Midwestern State vs Missouri S&T
Thursday, Sept 2 – 1 p.m.
Soldier Field (Claremore, Okla.)
All-Time Series: MSU leads 5-0-1
 
CLAREMORE, Okla. -- Midwestern State's 2021 season is officially here. The team faces Missouri S&T in a mid week neutral site game to kick off the regular season. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m. at Soldier Field.

FIVE STORY LINES

1 |  Midwestern State claimed wins in its last six season openers dating back to 2014 and is 19-4-1 in lid lifters since moving to NCAA Division II at the start of the 1997 season. The Mustangs took down NCAA Division III side Hardin-Simmons this spring on the heels of season opening victories over Dixie State in 2019 and UT Tyler in 2018. The Mustangs defeated Fort Lewis (Colo.) in three straight openers from in 2015, 2016 and 2017. The Mustangs have outscored the opposition 20-3 in the last six season opening victories.

2 |  Last season the Mustangs excelled in hitting shots and making assists. Midwestern State notched a LSC high of 206 shots to average 18.73 per game, good for sixth in the NCAA national rankings. Trevor Amann led MSU with 38 shots with Carlos Flores close behind with 22. The team also led the conference in assists with 23 for the year. The average per game turned to 2.091, which was 15th in NCAA Division II. Flores topped the list for helpers with four while Amann and Julian Barajas each tallied three.

3 |  MSU returns 20 lettermen from the 2020 spring campaign where the team went 7-3-1 overall and 5-2-1 in conference play. 2020 LSC Player of the Year/Forward of the Year, Trevor Amann (eight goals, three assists), returns hungry to led the Mustangs offensively. Fellow scoring seniors Carlos Flores (four goals, four assists) and Julian Barajas (four goals, three assists) are also back to bring glory to MSU. Mere Escobar (five goals) rounds out the top scorers from last season. Midwestern State sees a controlled midfield back for the 2021 season in First Team All-LSC selection, Toi Yamaoka (1 goal). Brandon Martinez-Trelles and Luis Pacheco made big contributions as primary substitutes. The Mustangs defense stays consistent from 2020 to 2021. Rory O'Keeffe (2 goals) commands the back line alongside Carlos Vargas or Tristian Adams. Colby Parton (1 assist), the only defenseman to play and start in all 11 matches, holds down one side of the line while Adam Conway (1 goal), Jasub Flores and Nathan Clifford rotate in the fourth spot. Marc-Antoine Huzen (0.57 GAA, 8 saves) started between the posts for the first half of last season.

4 |  A splash of new faces will look to boost the Mustangs this 2021 season. Grayson Ellett and Ross Dalton both transfer from fellow Lone Star Conference foes, West Texas A&M and Eastern New Mexico. Dalton allowed 18 goals to collect 1.15 goals against average in his junior season while Ellett made 14 starts in 2019 with the Buffs. Included in the mix are a couple of local standouts in Jackson Redding and Davis Mays. Freshman cousin duo Jecsi Orellana-Espinal and Dereck Espinal helped the Kipp Austin Collegiate Cardinals to a Texas State Championship in 2018.

5 |  The Miners return their top two scorers from the Spring 2021 season in Jason Jorgensen and Dario Rossell, who each put up four goals. The team tallied a 5-8-1 record in conference play last season to land 11th in the Great Lakes Valley Conference standings. Missouri S&T only scored three goals or more twice during the regular season, with the average landing at 1.14. They were able to tally 10.4 shots per game while allowing their opponents 11.3 shots. The 2021 GLVC preseason poll landed Missouri S&T tied for 11th with Lindenwood (Mo.). Similar to Midwestern State, Missouri S&T will face Northeastern State and Rockhurst (Mo.) this season.

HEAD COACH MICHAEL MEACHUM is beginning his fourth season as head coach of the Midwestern State men's soccer program. This will also be his tenth year overall at MSU including his first seven as an assistant. As Doug Elder's right-hand man, Meachum helped the Mustangs reach two NCAA Regional finals and the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Tournament. After taking the helm, the Bethany College graduate pushed the team to LSC Conference Tournament Champions in 2019 and the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2018 and 2019. Meachum has coached at many levels including NAIA at Bethany College (Kan.) and Hastings College (Neb.), Division I at Oral Roberts and Division II at Northeastern State and Midwestern State.

SERIES WITH THE MINERS

This is the seventh match-up between the Miners and the Mustangs with MSU having the upper hand at 5-0-1. The last competition dates back to 2005 where the two teams met up in Joplin, Mo. to play to a 2-1 W for Midwestern State. The first meeting started up in 1999 in which Missouri S&T traveled down to Wichita Falls, Texas, to get smashed 4-0. Since then, MSU tipped the scale sans the 2002 match that ended in a 0-0 draw.