BOLIVAR, Mo. – The SBU Bearcats will defend their 4-0-0 record on Thursday against Emporia State, with hopes of ending the day with the best start in the history of SBU soccer history.

"Emporia is a good team," said SBU’s head coach, Benjamin Wade. "The first time we played them this season, we only scored one goal against them in the first half. They (Emporia) were within a goal of Truman, 1-0, on Saturday. They size up well with anyone they play. And Washburn is very talented, athletic, and fast. We’re getting into a series of games that will make or break our season."

"We had our chances against Northwest," reflected Wade. "We just couldn’t find the net as much as we would have liked. I have a lot of respect for the way Northwest played. We won, but we were generally upset for not playing the best we could have played. But to put things in perspective - a win is a win - and a conference win is a conference win. But we are really looking to improve from last Saturday.

"We love the fan support, especially on a day with two huge other SBU events going on. We’re hoping to keep up the atmosphere we saw on Saturday, to create a true home-field advantage."

Through their first four contests, Wade’s Bearcats have outscored their opponents 21-1 and have out-shot their opponents 103-38. They have been led offensively by Rhiane Mitchell (10 goals, 3 assists, 23 points) and Nicola Cousins (6 goals, 8 assists, 20 points).

Game Notes