Soccer Completes Best Ever Season
11/15/1999 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Nov. 15, 1999
Columbia, Mo. - High expectations greeted the University of Missouri women?s soccer team at the start of the 1999 season. The team returned 16 letterwinners, nearly all its scoring, and a defense that proved to be one of the toughest in the Big 12 Conference. In its fourth season of competition, the Missouri program set its sights on a berth in the NCAA Tournament, the goal which had been set four years eariler by Head Coach Bryan Blitz. At the end of a record-breaking season, the Tigers found they had realized their goals, set new standards for success and placed their team among the nation?s top collegiate programs.
Chief among its accomplishments in 1999 was the team?s invitation to the NCAA Tournament. In each of its four seasons, Missouri soccer has steadily improved against tough competition. In 1999 the Tigers earned a 14-8-1 record, its best ever, while taking on teams from eight different conferences. Its strength of schedule and success in the Big 12 Conference were main contributors to Missouri?s first-ever NCAA appearance. A 3-2, four-overtime loss to Marquette in the first round of the NCAA Tournament may have stopped Missouri?s season in 1999, but it raised the bar of expectation for Missouri soccer yet agian as the program prepares for the 2000 season.
For the second consecutive season, Missouri advanced to the Big 12 Tournament Championship match. Despite playing without three starters, the Tigers played their best soccer of the year, advancing with wins over Colorado, 5-3, and Iowa State, 2-1. MU met Nebraska in the final, also for the second straight season, losing the match 2-1, but challenging the highly-ranked Cornhuskers for all 90 minutes of the match. The run through the Big 12 Tournament not only solidified Missouri?s spot in the national tournament, but it made a statement to collegiate soccer that Missouri soccer was dedicated to competeing at the highest level.
Missouri?s 14-8-1 overall mark, included an 8-4-1 record versus Big 12 Conference competition. MU finished 6-3-1 in conference during the regular season, its best Big 12 mark, then added two wins in the tournment before falling to Nebraska in the championship match. Eight wins over conference opponents were the second most by a Big 12 school for 1999. Only Nebraska?s 13-0-0 mark in Big 12 play bested MU?s record.
The end of the 1999 soccer season also marked the end of eight collegiate soccer careers as Missouri?s eight seniors played their final match for Ol? Mizzou. Five of those seniors were founding members of the Tiger program as part of the first soccer recruiting class in 1996. The dedication and committment that Heather Buchheit, Kate Dwyer, Jennifer Kram, Liz LaTour and Liz Passanise pledged to the program created the foundation that Missouri soccer will continue to build on. Fellow seniors Jackie Adamec, Erin Grimsley, and Mandy Pavlovits each added to the strength of Missouri soccer by coming to MU during her college career.
Statiscally, Missouri posted its best season ever in 1999. Overall, 33 team records were set or tied during the 1999 season. The Tigers scored a program-best 61 goals during its 23 matches, attempted a school-record 370 shots and posted a school-best 171 total points. Eleven Missouri players scored at least one goal, led by Nikki Thole?s school-record 23 scores, while 16 of MU?s 19 field players notched at least one point over the course of the season. Thole also led the team in points with a school-record 55.
The Tigers? defense allowed less than 2.0 goals per match, holding six opponents scoreless and 14 opponents to 2 goals or less. Senior goalkeeper Jackie Adamec registered a school-record 131 saves, while saving 75% of the 230 shots she faced.
Despite the loss of eight key seniors, Missouri will look to continue its season-by-season improvement in 2000. The TIgers return 39 goals and 33 assists, 65% of its total offense from 1999. Also returning in 2000 will be a nucleus of defenders that should continue to mature into one of collegiate soccer?s stingiest groups. The Tigers will again take on a tough non-conference schedule featuring teams from across country and then tackle the Big 12 Conference which continues to distinguish itself as one of the nation?s best.
