The Missouri Valley Conference is one of the top men’s soccer conferences in the nation. None of that seems to bother any of the MVC coaches, however, as they all welcome the competition

Most MVC teams play tough competition in their non-conference schedule and will get more of the same when conference play begins Friday.

“This conference is a great one,” Bradley coach Jim Derose said. “You could lose every game in this league and still be a good team. That’s what the great part of this league is.”

To give an idea on how tough it is to win a conference game, only Western Kentucky (3-5-1), out of the 10 teams in the conference, has a losing record to date.

Derose’s Bradley Braves are currently 5-5 and were nationally ranked at the beginning of the season. They have seen the likes of Notre Dame, Coastal Carolina and Penn State and Derose is happy to even be at .500.

“We built it to be one of the top five schedules in the country,” Derose said. “It’s probably pretty fair where we are.”

Bradley opens play against Vanderbilt at home, a team that has owned the Braves at Shea Stadium.

“We have never beaten Vanderbilt in Peoria to my knowledge,” Derose said. “They have our number at home. Let’s hope we can change it this year.”

For Evansville’s first-year coach Dave Golan, his first MVC game could be one he wants to forget. Golan’s Purple Aces get the privilege of hosting conference powerhouse Southern Methodist.

“(Playing at home) is about the best thing we’ve got,” Golan joked. “But I think we are prepared for it. We know it’s going to be our most difficult challenge to date. We are excited to open up with the club to beat.”

SMU is ranked No. 6 in the most recent NSCAA/Adidas soccer poll with a 7-1-1 record. The Mustangs made it to the third round of the NCAA Tournament last season before falling to Boston College 5-4.

Eastern, however, is coming off two straight victories and a week off heading into its first match against Western Kentucky.

Eastern coach Adam Howarth said his team can’t wait to get back to action and prove the ninth-place preseason ranking wrong.

“I think the guys are pretty excited to play some conference games,” he said. “It’s not going to be easy and we know that. The kids have a lot to prove: prove a point to every team we play.”

So now it’s time for the war to begin as teams start to fight for the eight-team conference tournament, which begins in early November.

“It’s a great conference this year and may be the most competitive we have seen,” Creighton coach Bob Warming said. “In the Valley, every game is a war.”