Character. Chemistry. Communication. Compete.
These pillars make up the four core values the Missouri State University women’s soccer team established when Kirk Nelson took over as head coach of the program in 2022.
In the 2024 season, with these concepts still serving as the squad’s center principles, the Bears claimed the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) regular season title for the first time in 29 years. From there, the Bears won the MVC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament before ultimately falling one goal short to the favored University of Iowa Hawkeyes.
The road to winning the MVC in the squad’s final season before switching to Conference USA (CUSA) was not a brief one.