Meeting comes with conference implications and individual battles
Missouri State will welcome Kennesaw State to Springfield on Thursday night as both teams try to sharpen their positions in Conference USA with the regular season drawing toward its final weeks. The match is scheduled for 5 p.m. Eastern Oct. 22 at Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium.
The Bears enter the matchup with a 3-7-4 overall mark and a CUSA ledger of 0-2-3, putting them on three conference points. Missouri State has shown resilience on home turf, remaining unbeaten in its last six matches at Allison South Stadium; their only home defeat came in the season opener against then-No. 15 Kansas.
Kennesaw State arrives from Kennesaw, Ga., carrying a 5-7-3 overall record and a 2-3-0 conference record. The Owls sit in fourth place in CUSA standings, but the margin between the middle-of-the-pack teams is narrow: six squads below Kennesaw State are separated by just three points, making each remaining conference match consequential.
Players and trends to watch
Missouri State’s attack has been fairly distributed. The Bears feature at least three players with seven or more points on the season. Maggie O’Keefe and Lillie Rasmussen lead the team with eight points apiece, and Rasmussen is the club’s top goal scorer with four goals. Midfielder Ellie Neath leads the team in playmaking with three assists.
Kennesaw State’s offense centers on forward Anabel Orozco, a Fayetteville native who produced a sustained run of goal contributions earlier this fall. Between Sept. 4 and Oct. 1 she logged goal involvement in six consecutive games, amassing 16 points during that stretch from 7 goals and 2 assists. Across the season she ranks at or near the top of CUSA in several categories: 47 shots, 27 shots on goal, 18 points and 8 goals. Those totals also place her among the national leaders in shots on goal and goals for Division I.
In goal, Kennesaw State has turned to veteran goalkeeper Charlee Bernal, a fifth-year player from Roswell, Ga., who has taken on the starting role this season. Bernal moved into the program’s top five in saves earlier this year after a busy game against No. 21 Memphis and reached another milestone in a match against Auburn.
Context and what’s at stake in Springfield
This will be only the second all-time meeting between the programs; Missouri State won the first contest, played in Kennesaw last season. For the Bears, a positive result at home could jump-start a CUSA run and provide much-needed momentum. For the Owls, a road victory would help solidify their hold on the upper half of the league standings as the conference race tightens.
- Date/time: Oct. 22, 5 p.m. ET
- Location: Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium, Springfield
- Missouri State CUSA record: 0-2-3 (3 points)
- Kennesaw State CUSA record: 2-3-0
Local fans should expect a contest featuring contrasting strengths: Missouri State’s recent home stability and balanced attacking options versus Kennesaw State’s top-end offensive threat in Orozco and a goalkeeper who has taken on a prominent role between the posts. With the conference standings compact, the result in Springfield could carry postseason implications for both teams.
| Team | Overall | CUSA | Notable leaders |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri State | 3-7-4 | 0-2-3 | Rasmussen (4 goals), O’Keefe (8 points), Neath (3 assists) |
| Kennesaw State | 5-7-3 | 2-3-0 | Orozco (8 goals, 18 points), Bernal (starting GK) |
Kickoff and match updates will be followed by both programs on their social media platforms. For Springfield supporters, the contest provides an opportunity to see local collegiate soccer continue to develop amid a tightly contested CUSA season.
