Men's Soccer Secures Shutout Win Over Missouri Baptist on Senior Night

Marshall, Mo., (Oct. 28, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's soccer teams hosted Missouri Baptist in a Senior Night doubleheader, Tuesday inside Volney C. Ashford Stadium.  The No. 5 women's team built up a lead in the first half, and finished with a 3-0 win.  The men's team scored a pair of goals in the second half to secure a 2-0 victory.

The men's game started with early chances created by Missouri Valley, as shots from Junior Forward Luis Mencos (Madrid, Spain) and Senior Forward Taiga Matsumoto (Nara, Japan) were saved in the opening seven minutes.  Three minutes later, Senior Goalkeeper Vicente Benitez Delgado (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain) made his first save of the contest.  The Vikings came back with more pressure on MBU, and put another two shots on goal midway through the half, but both attempts from Sophomore Midfielder Yannick Muller (Dietmannsried, Germany) were saved.  Sophomore Forward Oliver Baladi (Frederikssund, Denmark) added another quality chance near the 32-minute mark, but his attempt was kept out of goal, and the teams went into halftime scoreless.

Play in the second half began with the two teams trading possession through the opening minutes of play.  Missouri Valley had the first attempt on goal with just over 14-minutes off the clock, as Senior Midfielder Julius Kruger (Berlin, Germany) and Senior Defender Jacob Adams (Nottingham, England) worked together to set up Sophomore Midfielder Bartomeu Trias (Palma de Mallorca, Spain) with a shot that got past the keeper and into goal to put MVC on top, 1-0.  Senior Defender Jack Hurrell (Long Melford, England) was close to extending the advantage seven minutes later, but his shot was saved.  The Spartans came back with an attempt at the 73-minute mark, and Benitez Delgado made another save to keep Missouri Valley in front.  Just one minute after the save, the Vikings built up another chance, and the pair of Hurrell and Mencos worked to set up Freshman Forward Davor Marinkovic (Santa Cruz, Bolivia) with a shot, which went into goal to put the advantage at 2-0 with under 16-minute remaining in the contest.  The two teams traded possession over the final stretch of play, and Missouri Baptist was unable to put another shot on goal.  The Vikings finished out a 2-0 victory.

Trias scored his fourth goal and added his first game-winning goal of the season, while Marinkovic scored his third goal.  Adams and Kruger each recorded their first assist of the season, while Hurrell added his second and Mencos totaled his third assist.  Benitez Delgado made two saves in goal and secured the team's fourth shutout of the season.  Missouri Valley held a 14-5 advantage in total shots and earned three corner kicks.

The win moves Missouri Valley to 7-6-3 overall and 5-5-2 in the Heart.  Missouri Baptist drops to 5-8-3 on the season and 4-6-2 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking soccer teams will close their regular seasons with a Heart doubleheader at Baker (Kan.) in Baldwin City, Kan., Saturday evening.  Women's game starts at 5 p.m., followed by the men's game at 7:30 p.m.

Box Score-Click Here

About Missouri Valley College

Standing out as one of the most innovative and student-focused liberal arts colleges in the Midwest, Missouri Valley College (MVC) is committed to preparing students for success beyond the classroom. Through the Viking Voyage program, MVC prioritizes career readiness from day one, equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed to excel after graduation. Each of MVC's 30+ in-demand majors—including nursing, business, cybersecurity, computer science, criminal justice, and exercise science—integrates personal instruction, experiential learning, and professional opportunities to prepare graduates to thrive in a rapidly changing and globally connected world. At Missouri Valley College, higher education is more than earning a degree—it's a transformative journey that begins with the end.