ST. LOUIS - The Missouri Baptist Men's Soccer program has had its fair share of successes, such as a conference championship in 2024 and national ranking of 21 in 2001. Another accomplishment took place in 2013, when the team began its season with six wins and one draw, marking the longest undefeated start in program history, a record that still stands today. However, the 2026 squad knocked on the door of the record book, besting three teams and drawing with another three before facing defeat by William Penn University. While the record may still belong to the 2013 team, a six-game undefeated introduction for Head Coach Roosevelt Peters can only be seen as a sign of things to come for the men's soccer program. 

"Obviously, very grateful to God for that," Peters had to say about the start to the season. "I think we are headed in the right direction and finding bits of consistency. For me, it is very positive to find out that we are able to achieve something like that." 

It takes more than one man to help a program turn a corner. While coach Peters demands a lot from his players, the culture he is building emphasizes a joy for the game as much as it does seriousness. 

"I think it is a culture of intensity, a culture of discipline, respect and having fun," said Peters. "I think they bought in very well. From the get-go, everyone was interested in, 'How do we want to play? How do we want to get this done? What is the new way forward going to be?' They bought into it early. 

That buy-in is evident among the players, especially those who were around for the 2024 conference title and experienced a disappointing inaugural season in the Heart of America Athletic Conference in 2025. Beyond the culture, the on-field mentality has seen a shift as well, preparing the team to put the group before themselves and do what it takes to win. 

"I think we are playing a different style of play to what we did in the past," stated senior goalkeeper Sean Stone. "We like to play out from the back and keep the ball, but we also don't mind playing the dirty side of the game... We want to do whatever it takes to win, really, and that's kind of what happened at the start of the season" 

Winning can be hard to come by in the Heart, one of the toughest conferences in the NAIA, especially for men's soccer. A 4-7-2 conference record by MBU last season left them out of the tournament, leaving much to be desired. That competition and the chance to flip the script is part of why coach Roosevelt made the decision to take the reins of the program. 

"It is what you want; you want to compete against the best at all times," Peters said. "Coming from Maryville and the GLVC, it is one of the top conferences in Division II, so, coming to the Heart, that's the one reason I was open to coming. It's been a challenge, up and down. Every game you have to analyze, every game you have to do film, every game you have to prepare. There is no game you are going into that you're one hundred percent winning. That has been one of the biggest difficulties where, if you don't show up, you get beat down." 

The squad has seen both sides of the coin, notching statement wins against the reigning national champion Grand View Vikings and the No. 13 Benedictine Ravens, while also dropping three straight to nationally recognized Heart opponents as well. No matter the peaks or the valleys, the goal has always been the same for this team. 

"I see us for sure making the playoffs," said sophomore winger Adel Smajlovic. "We are trying to make nationals. Obviously, we had a great start in the beginning of the season, but now in conference, kind of slow, down three losses... I still see us making the national tournament." 

The road will continue to be difficult as the squad has eight conference games yet to be played. Throughout the remainder of the season, the most important thing for the team is to make strides forward despite the outcomes of their matches. 

"It's about remembering who we are, digging into the preseason again, and progressing, not regressing," noted Peters.  "A successful end of season for me would be grabbing 22, 23, 24 points... and finish the season anywhere above 25 points, get in the conference tournament and see how we can compete." 

MBU Men's Soccer currently sits at 4-3-3 overall, 2-3-1 in the Heart. The toughest stretch is over, having faced the six nationally ranked conference teams in the first six conference games. Most recently, the men bested Benedictine College 1-0 to get back into the win column. Follow the rest of their season as they finish out Heart play, starting with a matchup against William Woods on Spartan Field this Wednesday. No matter the outcome, the future looks bright for coach Peters and this program.