The Missouri State University soccer programs are entering a new era.
At the end of last season, veteran coaches Rod Brewer on the women’s side and men’s coach Jon Leamy stepped down.
Brewer, who started the women’s program in 1996, led the Bears to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2000 and 2017 and finished with a career record of 224-207-61. The Bears finished in the top three in the Missouri Valley Conference 11 times.
On the men’s side, the Bears were upset 1-0 by visiting Creighton in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament last season, ending a 15-game winning streak and wrapping up a 17-2 season. Under Leamy, the winningest coach in program history, the Bears went 309-189-66 and made six NCAA appearances. They have won 10 regular-season Missouri Valley Conference titles and captured three MVC tournament championships. Missouri State has been in the last three NCAA Tournaments.
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Both programs will turn to long-time assistant coaches to lead them moving forward. On the women’s side, Kirk Nelson takes over after spending the last eight seasons as associate head coach. The new men’s coach is Michael Seabolt. He’s been with the Bears since 2007 and was promoted to associate head coach prior to the 2009 season.
Following is a quick look at the Missouri State soccer programs:
Depth could be key for the women’s squad
Off to a 0-1-1 start, the Bears played to a scoreless draw against Central Arkansas before losing 4-0 Sunday at Oklahoma State. They’ll host Southeast Missouri (1-1) on Thursday afternoon.
Voted eighth in the preseason ranking of MVC squads, the Bears finished 5-7-5 overall and 2-4-2 in league play last year. But in 2019, they went 11-5-2 overall and posted a 4-2-1 league record. Two players, senior defender Isabel Burke (Webster Groves/St. Louis U) and sophomore forward Grace O’Keefe, were named to the preseason All-MVC squad.
“Honestly, I think we’re deeper than any time in the nine years I’ve been here,” Nelson pointed out. “Now, we have to try and take advantage of that. I see myself as an educator and I want my players to understand the game and to work towards solving problems on the field. They’re calling this season ‘New Beginnings’ and with that, we came in with a clean slate, a fresh approach and a wide-open depth chart.”
The Bears played 19 players against Central Arkansas and 26 saw action in the loss at OSU.
O’Keefe led Missouri State in scoring last fall, finishing with three goals and seven assists. As a freshman, Kaeli Benedict (Pattonville) chipped in with three goals. Other key returnees include defenders Kyli Jackson and Jenna Anderson and junior goalkeeper Camielle Day (Fort Zumwalt West).
Other St. Louis area players on the roster are freshman midfielder Hailey Chambliss (Eureka), sophomore defender Brynna Rutherford (Francis Howell North), junior midfielder Gracie English (Belleville East/SLU), freshman midfielder Gabbi Schlapper (Duchesne), freshman defender Giovanna Starman (Fort. Zumwalt North), senior defender Emma Hensley (Edwardsville), junior midfielder Alyssa Buchheit (St. Dominic) and freshman goalkeeper Ella Becker (Lindbergh).
The Missouri State roster features eight freshmen and a pair of transfers.
“I think we can be competitive,” Nelson said. “One of our main goals is to be one of the eight teams to qualify for the conference tournament. From there, anything can happen.”
Bears looking for fourth consecutive NCAA trip
Seabolt doesn’t expect to make a lot of changes with the men’s program. The Bears have been a model of consistency in recent seasons, winning the MVC regular-season titles in four of the last five campaigns while earning three consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament.
“We all feel good about the path of the program and we want it to continue,” said Seabolt, who previously served as head coach at West Virginia from 2003-2005. “Let’s continue to build in that direction. We all want the program to grow and move in a positive way. It’s not my program or Coach Leamy’s program; it belongs to the players, to the school and to the community. We want to do everything we can to make it as good as possible and help the program continue to grow.”
The Bears open the season at home Thursday night against former NCAA champion University of California Santa Barbara, a team that finished 12-5-4 overall and 6-1-2 atop the Big West Conference last year. The Gauchos lost 2-1 in double overtime at UCLA in a first-round NCAA game last season.
Key returnees for the Bears, who were 19th in the United Soccer Coaches preseason rankings, include midfield leaders Jack Denton and Kian Yari, who was named MVC Midfielder of the Year after finishing the season with two goals and eight assists. Yari was second-team All-America selection.
Other returning all-league players for the Bears include forwards Aadne Bruseth, Nicolo Mulatero and Jesus Barea and defender Michael Peck. Senior Jon Koka is another attacking player to watch.
“We’ve played 22 or 23 guys in preseason and they’ve all looked good,” Seabolt said. “It’s a technical group. If a team presses us, we know we can move quickly. But we’re also comfortable playing a possession game if that’s what is needed.”
In a preseason vote, Missouri State earned all seven first-place votes and beat out league newcomer Belmont as the favorite to win the MVC. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville tied another newcomer, University of Illinois-Chicago, for third, followed by Evansville, Bradley and Drake.
A trio of key players from last year’s squad — goalkeeper Michael Creek (Lindbergh), forward/midfielder Josh Dolling and defender Kyle Hiebert — are competing this summer with St. Louis City’s MLS Next Squad. Hiebert was the first player from that squad to sign a Major League Soccer contract.
“They were excellent Bears and we’re extremely proud of the success they achieved,” Seabolt said.
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