mvc season preview
Will a team from the back shock the past champions?
July 20, 2024 I Jack Latterman I MVC
The Missouri Valley Conference was pretty strong last year, having Western Michigan and Missouri State make the NCAA Tournament. A common theme for most teams in the conference is the amount of guys they are bringing back. It will be really interesting to see which of these teams improves most after gelling for another offseason.
I would like to preface all of this by saying that this is an opinion piece. I have watched all these teams play last season and done heavy research to create this preview, but that doesn’t mean it is going to be correct… and that is what makes sports so great! My intention is not to make anyone angry with a preseason poll, as they are rarely accurate anyways. This is what I think might happen and I would love to hear if you agree or disagree.
WMU entered the conference last season and did not disappoint. It was a fantastic battle between them and Missouri St. for the title. Quite a few teams towards the bottom of the table struggled, but I really feel like one or two will make a real run towards the top 3 or 4. Call me crazy, but I think Western is going to have a rough year after losing 75% of their difference makers.
This has been the toughest conference for me to predict so far. There are so many question marks with WMU and so many teams with the entire squad coming back after a tough season. I wouldn’t be shocked if this prediction table is completely jumbled.
Western Michigan
WMU Lost their first match of 2023 to Vermont, but did not lose another regular season match after that. They finished the season with 17 wins, winning the MVC tournament, regular season, and making it to the 3rd round of the NCAA Tournament, where they fell in PKs to Notre Dame.
The biggest loss for this side is the NCAA leading scorer from 2023, Charlie Sharp. The striker carried this side to wins in so many games and his 19 will be very tough to replace. Winger Dylan Sing also scored 15 goals last year, and moved onto the pros as well. Starting keeper Ethan Brandt, and defenders Jonathan Robinson, Jaylen Shannon, Will Perkins, and Nick Stone are all gone. That leaves this team with just 4 returning starters.
Those 4 include brothers Carson and Tanner Hodgson, Noah James, and Landon Fisher. They are midfielders who will look to bring this very new squad back together in 2024.
The Broncos added 5 transfers to try to make up for all the lost production. Greyson Mercer is the only attacking piece they added. The striker scored 5 goals during his time at Michigan State. They brought in defenders Asher Barnes, from Niagara, Duarte Chapelas, from MidAmerica Nazarene, and Emiel Nieuwhof, from LSU in Shreveport. Owen Smith also joins from Oakland and will create from the midfield. They also brought in goalkeeper Colin Welsh, who will likely come right into the starting spot.
I am worried with the amount of turnover from this side. They have been very successful in recent years, but much of that is due to Sing and Sharp. They lost an entire backline and goalkeeper, as well as 2 of the top scorers in the entire country. I don’t think they will be awful, but I would be surprised if they won the conference.
Missouri State
The Bears won 12 games in 2023, after starting unbeaten through 7. They also won just their third even NCAA Tournament match in history.
They will be without Javier Martin Gil, Pascal Corvino, and Yari Kian. In total Missouri State lost 6 starters, but brought in 5 transfers to fill those holes.
Michael Peck returns with Mattia Pettricca, who had a fantastic first season in Springfield. Jesus Barea and Tyler Caton are also back. Barea will be the danger man for this side, both from a creator and goal-scoring perspective. The 2022 conference player of the year is a real joy to watch.
The Bears are tough because they lost a few guys, but return some real pieces. I think they will compete for the title.
UIC
The Flames had a good season last year, winning 11, including 4 conference matches. They lost just one game at home, showing how hard they were to beat.
UIC lost just one starter from last season. They also bring back Brian Perez, who redshirted due to injury in 2023, and will likely start like he did in 2022.
Josh Torres and Bart Muns are the two goalscorers to watch this year. Jesus De Vincente tallied 11 assists from his defensive role in 2023 and is returning as well. Oren Asher is back in goal after starting every match and his entire back line will be infront of him.
I really like this team this year. I think they will win the conference and surprise many. They are filled with goalscorers and return their strong defense on top of it.
Bowling Green
BGSU had a mediocre year, finishing below .500 and winning just 1 game away. They were solid at home, bringing home 6 wins in their 9 matches.
The Falcons are another team that are returning the vast majority of their starters, with 10 guys coming back. Their top 2 scorers, as well as their entire midfield are back.
This team struggled a bit in Spring League, which is a bit worrisome. I think they will be ok, but not great.
NIU
The Huskies won 7 games last year and struggled in matches against the stronger teams. They did force a match with WMU in the conference tournament into ET, which was an accomplishment for this side.
Northern Illinois returns a little over half of their starters from 2023, including leading scorer Taisei Arima. They did lose Luis Hernandez and Diego Maynez, who will be big losses in the midfield. They used the portal to pick up defender Wiktor Kwiatowski from Arizona Western College and midfielder Jaephil Seo from Bryan College.
I think NIU will be alright next year, and finish similarly to how they did in 2023.
Belmont
The Bruins had a strong non-conference showing in 2023 with 5 wins, but struggled in the MVC.
Besides Jansen Wilson, who led the team in goals last season, and Michael Saunders, who was a solid piece in the midfield, Belmont returns the vast majority of their starters.
Brock Kiper is back after a 6-goal Sophomore year and will likely start every game up front. Goalkeeper Grant Calvert is also returning after starting all 17 last year. The entire back line will be returning and I expect them to be a solid defensive team in 2024.
I like Belmont to improve on their last season, and finish in the top 4.
Evansville
The Purple Aces struggled in 2023, winning just 4 matches. They came up with 2 MVC wins, against NIU and Bradley.
Kai Phillip is back for his 5th year after scoring 10 in 2023. He was the only player with more than 2 goals on the season. Jose Vivas is also back in the #10 role, to help create for the Aces. They also return their entire back line.
Goalkeeper will be interesting as they started Jacob Madden 9 times last year, but he is gone. Hugo Amo is likely the favorite to take over after coming in from Casper CC.
Phillips will be the attacking threat for this side, and I think has the potential to lead this conference in goals. He is the one to watch on this side.
I like Evansville to be pretty decent this season and finish in 4th or 5th.
Bradley
The Braves started off well in 2023, going unbeaten in non-conference play. The season turned for the worse come MVC time, losing 6 matches and winning just 1.
Jackson Fyda transferred to St. Marys and Patrick Fishburne graduated, but besides that this side kept together well.
DJ Koulai had a fantastic Freshman season and was a real bright spot in this tough campaign. Him and Ian Ferguson both will be fun to watch this year. Sinnaeve and Dickerson are back as Senior leaders as well.
This team has the chance to be much improved because they are bringing back so many guys. They will need find more goals than they did last year, but if they can do that, I think they have the chance to be more successful.
Drake
Drake were not real good in 2023, winning just 3 matches, with 1 being a MVC win.
Leading scorer AJ Franklin graduated after a 6-goal season in 2023. Even after a rough year, it is impressive how the staff kept this team together and how no big pieces transferred out. They are returning the vast majority of their starters, which seems to be a common theme in the MVC.
Jackson Kirsch returns and is someone to look out for in the midfield. Eloge Iradukunda is back up front for the Bulldogs and will be the number one scoring threat. The entire backline remains the same and will hopefully be improved after gelling for another season.
I think Drake will be better than they were last year, but I think it would take a lot for them to really climb up in the conference.
2023 Final Standings
2024 Predictions
- UIC
- Missouri St.
- Belmont
- Evansville
- Western Michigan
- NIU
- Bowling Green
- Bradley
- Drake
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