Oct. 25, 2001

Up this week
The University of Missouri women's soccer team rounds down the regular season with three remaining home games. The Tigers host Baylor on Fri., Oct. 26 at 7:00 p.m. Missouri then faces Arkansas-Little Rock on Sun., Oct. 28 at 1:00 p.m.

Missouri's final regular season game of the 2001 season is a rescheduled match against Eastern Illinois. The Tigers play the Panthers on Sun., Nov. 4 at 1:00 p.m. The event will be the last time seniors Steph Brennan, Dyana Russell and Mandy Waters compete at Audrey J. Walton Soccer Complex. A special pre-game presentation will be made honoring their support of the Tiger program.

Promotions
Friday is MU student night. All students that show a valid student ID will receive admission to the MU-Baylor game for just $1. Students with an All-Sports pass receive free entry.

The Tigers usher in the Halloween season on Sunday against the Trojans. All kids that come to the game in costume will receive admission to the game for just $2. Candy will be passed out at the front gates and a costume contest at halftime will give kids the opportunity to win prizes for their creativity. As an added family bonus, the concession stand will be selling hot dogs for just $1.

In addition to recognizing the efforts of Mizzou's graduating seniors, the MU-Eastern Illinois game is also Truman Club Day. All Truman Club members are invited to attend the game for a $1 admission. Shelter and State Farm Insurance employees are also invited to attend the game for a $2 admission.

For more information on Missouri soccer promotions, please contact Brooke Bond in the MU Athletic Marketing Office at (573) 882-0713.

Meet Coach Blitz
The Mizzou soccer coaching staff would like to invite soccer fans to "Lunch with Coach Blitz" Mon., Nov 5 at 11:30 a.m. Join Coach Blitz and the MU soccer coaching staff for a session of chalk talk and learn about the Missouri soccer program. The luncheon will be held in the Tom Taylor Dining Hall and is only $7.50 per person. Please contact Kate Cortis, Director of Soccer Operations, for reservations at (573) 884-1522.

Radio Coverage
The Missouri-Arkansas-Little Rock game on Sun., Oct. 28 will be aired live on KWWC radio. Join KBXR's Simon Rose and KOMU-Channel 8's Chris Gervino for all the action. Tune into 90.5 FM at 1:00 p.m.

In addition to live radio coverage, the game will also be featured live on the Missouri Tiger web site. Log onto www.mutigers.com and select radio coverage from the Missouri soccer team's schedule/results page.

For more information on Missouri radio coverage, contact the MU Media Relations Office at (573) 882-2531.

Tigers in the Big 12
Missouri is sixth in Big 12 Conference standings with a 4-4 league record. Texas tops the pack going 7-0, Nebraska is second going 6-1, Texas A&M is third with 5-1, Kansas is fourth with a 5-3 mark and Oklahoma ranks fifth going 3-3 in league play. The Tigers are 9-6 on the season overall.

Missouri is third in the league with 94 points and 30 assists. The Tigers are also ranked fourth with 32 goals on the season and a 16.47 shots per game average. In the goalbox, Mizzou is second in the conference with five shutouts and 5.27 saves per outing.

Scouting the Golden Bears
Baylor is 8-6 and is tied with Missouri in Big 12 Conference standings with a 4-4 league mark. The Bears dropped their first four conference games, but have turned on a four-game win streak defeating Oklahoma State (3-2), Oklahoma (3-1), Colorado (3-0) and Texas Tech (7-0).

April Robertson, Ginny Rosario-Tull and Ryan Lee all top Baylor with 14 points on the year. Robertson leads the team with seven goals. She has taken just 12 shots in 2001, nine of which have been on goal. She leads Baylor with a .750 shots on goal percentage and two game winning goals. Rosario-Tull is second for the Bears with six goals. She also has two assists on the season. Lee leads the team in assists with six. She also has four goals, including one game-winner.

Goalkeeper Emily Koch anchors the Bears in the backfield. She has played 752 minutes in 10 games. She has allowed 13 goals, made 37 saves and posts a 1.56 goals against average. She is 5-3 on the year. Backup keeper Stephanie Demsey is 3-1 in 2001. She has played 446 minutes in seven games. She has allowed 10 goals, made 17 saves and owns a 2.02 goals against average.

Baylor rounded down the 2000 season with a 10-6-3 record going 6-2-2 to finish fourth in the Big 12 Conference. The Bears return five starters and 10 letterwinners to this year's squad. Last season, the Tigers went 2-0 against the Bears dropping a 2-1 loss during the regular season and a 3-4 overtime heartbreaker in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament. Baylor leads the MU-BU series 5-2.

Scouting the Trojans
Arkansas-Little Rock is 0-14-1 in 2001 toting a 0-7 record in the Sun Belt Conference. The Trojans have scored just 13 goals on the year and average just 8.3 shots per game.

Brittany Akford, Elena Esquibel and Leia Friedman all top the team with six points. Akford has two goals and one assist in 2001. She also leads the team taking 21 shots-including 13 shots on goal-to record a .619 shots on goal percentage. Esquibel has two goals and two assists and Friedman has scored three goals.

Goalkeeper Jayme Butts defends the Trojan net. She has played 1,139 minutes in 14 games. She has allowed 52 goals, made 87 saves and posts a 4.11 goals against average. She is 0-14-1 on the year. Esquibel doubles as the Trojan's backup goalkeeper. She has played 135 minutes allowing five goals, making 13 saves and recording a 3.33 goals against average.

Arkansas-Little Rock was 4-16 last season with a 1-6 mark in the Sun Belt Conference to finish seventh in league standings. The Trojans return six starters and 11 letterwinners to the 2001 squad. This is the first match-up between the Tigers and Arkansas-Little Rock.

Tigers Last Ups
Missouri dropped to 9-6 with a 4-4 Big 12 Conference mark taking losses from No. 12 ranked Texas (1-0) and No. 17 ranked Texas A&M (5-2). The Tigers fought two tough games over the weekend falling to the Longhorns in the last four minutes of the match. Likewise against the Aggies, Mizzou came back from a 4-0 deficit to score two goals within a two-minute period.

Duncan Delivers
Goalkeeper Megan Duncan was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week Oct. 15-20 after a 2-0 conference weekend against Colorado and Texas Tech. The sophomore logged her fourth shutout of the season against the Buffaloes making six saves in the Tigers' 2-0 victory. Against the Red Raiders, Duncan knocked down seven shots and allowed just one goal.

Overall, the Tulsa, Okla., native is 7-6 on the year. She has made 72 saves and allowed 23 goals to record a 1.88 goals against average. Duncan is second in the Big 12 in saves and tops the league with 5.83 saves per contest. She is tied to lead the Big 12 with four shutouts and is fifth in shutouts per games. She has the leagues' ninth lowest goals against average.

Dynamite Davis
All-Big 12 candidate Adrienne Davis posted two more goals to her season tally against Texas Tech. She scored the game-tying goal on an assist by Tamara Kochen. The forward lobbed a pass over the Raider defensive line enabling Davis to lure the keeper for an easy goal. She also scored the final goal of the game unassisted when she beat the Texas Tech defense for a clean shot.

Davis scored MU's only goals against both Nebraska and Iowa State. The forward posted her second game-winning goal of the year heading in a corner kick against the Cyclones.

The feat continues to boost what could possibly be a hallmark season for the sophomore. Davis gave Tiger fans another reason to pack the stands with an amazing display in MU's 6-1 victory over Drury. The forward contributed to every goal scored in the game dishing out four assists and scoring two goals. Davis set two Missouri single-game records with the feat in assists and scoring eight points.

Playing in 13 games, Davis has scored 25 points. She also leads the Tigers with eight goals and nine assists. She has taken 53 shots overall, including 28 shots on goal to post a .528 shots on goal percentage.

Davis tops the Big 12 Conference with nine assists to average 0.69 assists per outing. The Edmond, Okla., native is tied for fourth in the league in points and points per game with 1.92. She also ranks fifth in goals and sixth in shots.

Getting the Proof on Peabody
Freshman All-Big 12 candidate Melissa Peabody continues to rack up points for the Tigers. The freshman scored the game-winning goal in the Tigers' 4-1 victory over Texas Tech. Defender Carrie Crossett lofted a cross into fellow forward Adriene Davis who knocked the ball down with a flick to Peabody who capitalized on the play.

The forward dished out her first assist of the season helping Adriene Davis score MU's only goal against No. 4 ranked Nebraska.

In non-conference play, Peabody recorded three back-to-back games scoring goals for Missouri. She posted her first collegiate goal against Indiana State when she scored two goals just eight minutes apart to win the Indiana State game 4-0. Against Iowa she once again scored the game winner to lead MU to it's fourth season victory and, in Mizzou's 6-1 victory over Drury, she posted two goals.

Against No. 1 ranked North Carolina, Peabody was the only Mizzou athlete to make an offensive advance. She took two shots, including one shot on goal against the Tar Heels.

Peabody is second on the team with 13 points. She has scored six goals and one assist and leads the team with three game-winning goals. In Big 12 Conference standings, Peabody ranks eighth in shots and is also tied for second in game-winning goals.

Finding Her Game
Israeli national team member Tamara Kochen exploded onto the Big 12 Conference scene against Colorado and Texas Tech. In just two games the freshman recorded four points with a goal and two assists. Kochen scored her second collegiate goal against the Buffaloes. Freshmen Ashley Gibbs and Kristen Heil moved the ball up the field for the forward where she was able to rocket a hard shot into top right corner of the Colorado net. Against Texas Tech, Kochen lofted a pass over the Red Raider defensive line to help Adriene Davis score the game-tying goal. She also came back to help Heil score her first goal of the year.

Last weekend, Kochen helped fuel the Mizzou fight against Texas A&M. Despite facing a 4-0 deficit, the freshman pounded the Aggie defensive line with assist attempts. With just 15 minutes left in the match her perseverance finally paid off. Kochen successfully lobbed a pass over the TA&M defense enabling defender Dallas Bird to lure the Aggie goalkeeper to score.

The weekend ties Kochen for fourth on the team with seven points. She has two goals, three assists and one game-winning goal on the season.

The Mastery of McLellan
Sophomore Melissa McLellan showed Mizzou fans exactly why she was named the Missouri soccer team's Most Improved Player in 2000. The forward ripped in MU's only goal against Oklahoma in grand style. Considered by head coach Bryan Blitz to be the, "finest goal I've seen at Missouri," McLellan collected a pass from Adriene Davis and sunk the ball into the top corner of the OU net. The strike was picture perfect leaving Oklahoma goalkeeper Catherine Wade stunned in the box.

The goal came on the heels of McLellan's game-winning assist against Oklahoma State. With just four minutes left in the game, she sent a pass from the top left corner of the OSU goalbox to Karen Bauer who struck the game-winner.

As the conference season progresses, the forward continues her offensive onslaught. She scored her fourth goal of the season in Missouri's 2-0 victory over Colorado unassisted. The 5-foot-9 sophomore beat the Buffalo defense for the score.

Overall, McLellan is third on the team with nine points. She has four goals and one assist. She has taken 24 shots, including 15 shots on goal, to post a .625 shots on goal percentage. She also has one game-winning goal on the year.

On the Board
Freshman Kristen Heil put up her first collegiate goal against Texas Tech. The forward headed in a bouncing ball sent in by Tamara Kochen. She boosts her season point tally to four as she also has two assists. Heil has played in all 15 games for the Tigers playing an instrumental role for the Mizzou offense.

Bauer Breaking Out
Midfielder Karen Bauer stepped up as Missouri's offensive rescue force pulling the Tigers over a 2-0 deficit to defeat Oklahoma State 3-2. Bauer put Mizzou on the board with a goal in the second period from a cross by defender Carrie Crossett. She came back to score the game-winning goal with just four minutes left in the period from an assist by Melissa McLellan.

Bauer is tied for third on the team with seven points. She has three goals and one assist on the year, including a game-winning goal.

Defense is the Key
All-Big 12 candidate Dyana Russell picked up another offensive accolade in the Tigers' topping of Iowa State. The senior dished out her second assist of the season with a game-winning corner kick scored by Adriene Davis. The point marks Russell's fourth of the season adding to an unassisted goal against Iowa and an assist against Drury.

In addition to her offensive prowess, the defender continues to prove herself in the Tiger backfield. Russell anchors the Missouri defensive line that has thus far decimated the offensive opposition. In 15 games, she has helped the squad keep their opponents to just 110 shot on goal attempts to average just 12.8 shots per game.

Russell single handedly shut down North Texas' Marilyn Marin, the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year and the Eagles leading scorer. Playing 77 minutes against Russell, Marin was only able to rip off two shots, neither of which was on goal. In addition, Russell topped Iowa offensive leader Sarah Lynch, who was kept to just four shots.

Her most impressive performance of the season came against No. 12 ranked Texas. Playing the entire 90 minutes against the Longhorns, Russell kept the Big 12 Conference leaders to just five shots on goal during the game. She also single-handedly shut down Texas scoring leader Kelly Wilson. Russell left the forward that regularly averages four shots and .75 goals per game without a single offensive attack.

Russell was honored as the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 11.

Valuable Contributions
Adding to the solid defensive effort, freshman Kim Hibbert and junior walk-on Carrie Crossett have proven themselves as valuable assets to the Missouri defensive line. Crossett has started all 15 games and Hibbert has started in 13 games for the Tigers, playing over 80 minutes each game. Hibbert and Crossett add volumes of speed to the Tiger defensive game as well as impressive control and vision.

Crossett, a walk-on to the 2001 squad, has also proven herself as a valuable offensive contributor. She has three assists on the season. She delivered the game-winning cross in MU's victories over Colorado and Texas Tech over the weekend.

The two newcomers join veterans Dyana Russell and Mandy Waters creating a solid defensive force keeping their opponents to just 110 shots on goal in 1,350 minutes of play, including a perfect shutout game against Indiana State where the Tigers outshot the Sycamores 34-0.

Mizzou Midfield
Also putting in minutes for the Tigers, freshman Lacy Moore has started every game thus far as MU's defensive center midfielder. She scored her first collegiate goal against Duke from an assist by defender Mandy Waters. She came back to score her second goal of the year against No. 17 ranked Texas A&M. Moore headed in a loft from senior Steph Brennan to put the Tigers on the board against the Aggies. She is seventh on the team in overall points.

A defensive phenom, Moore serves as a lynch pin in the Mizzou strategy. Using her height advantage, coupled with her speed and outstanding vision, she is quickly proving herself to be a valuable asset in the MU half field. Along side Suzy Probst and Steph Brennan, Moore adds a great deal of depth, control and leadership.

Probst on the Prowl
Missouri fans have long known midfielder Suzy Probst to be one of the best defensive players in the Big 12 Conference, but in MU's season opener, the junior showed off her dynamic offensive flavor. Probst scored two of Missouri's three goals against Memphis to lead the Tigers to a 3-2 victory.

The midfielder scored the first goal of the game 20 minutes into the first period. Freshman Kristen Heil sailed a cross inside to forward Adriene Davis who was unable to take a solid shot. Davis made a tight ground pass to Probst in the box for the score. For her second play, Probst picked up a ball that ricocheted off a Memphis defender for an unassisted point.

Probst is sixth on the team with two goals and one assist for five points. She helped the Tigers to a 1-0 shutout victory over Iowa State knocking down a corner kick sent in by Dyana Russell thus enabling forward Adriene Davis to score.

In the Net
Goalkeeper Stephanie Krawczyk opened the 2001 season for MU against Memphis. She allowed two goals, made three saves and helped the Tigers to a 3-2 victory. The Anchorage, Alaska, native picked up her first shutout of the season against Indiana State recording a 4-0 victory. Krawczyk is ranked 10th in the Big 12 in shutouts.

Tiger Team Notes
? In individual game-highs, Adriene Davis leads the nation with four assists and ranks eighth in the NCAA scoring eight points against Drury. She is also 10th in the nation with 2.27 points and .82 assists per outing in individual season statistics.

? Freshman Shea Swoboda tops the Tigers with a .867 shot on goal percentage. She has taken 15 shots, 13 of which have been on goal. Swoboda has two goal on the season for four points.

? The Tigers are averaging 2.1 goals per game while keeping their opponents to just 1.9 per outing.

? Missouri is currently ranked eighth in the SoccerBuzz and 10th in the NSCAA/adidas Central Region rankings. The Tigers join fellow Big 12 opponents Nebraska, Texas, Texas A&M, Kansas and Oklahoma in the poll.

? This season, the Big 12 Conference has honored three Mizzou athletes as Big 12 Players of the Week. Megan Duncan and Dyana Russell have received Defensive Player of the Week accolades and Melissa Peabody was honored as a Newcomer of the Week.

? Defender Dallas Bird scored her first goal on the year against No. 17 ranked Texas A&M. The junior collected a ball passed over the Aggie defensive line by forward Tamara Kochen. Bird lured the TA&M keeper from the box for the score.

? Senior Stephanie Brennan added an assist to her season point tally when she lofted a cross to Lacy Moore who scored MU's first goal against Texas A&M. The midfielder has contributed three assists on the season.

? Missouri ranks fifth in the Big 12 Conference in home attendance. The Tigers average 693 fans per match.