Missouri Travels to Nebraska/Iowa State
10/3/2001 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Oct. 3, 2001
Up this week
The University of Missouri women's soccer team continues Big 12 Conference play on the road against Nebraska and Iowa State. The Tigers face the Cornhuskers in Lincoln, Neb., on Fri., Oct. 5 at 7:00 p.m. Mizzou plays the Cyclones in Ames, Iowa, on Sun., Oct. 7 at 1:00 p.m.
Missouri in the Big 12
The Tigers are 6-3 on the season with a 1-1 Big 12 Conference record. Mizzou pulled out an amazing 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Oklahoma State to win its first league match of the season. Missouri picked up its third loss on the year to Oklahoma with a 2-1 fallout.
Mizzou tops the league in offense with 64 points to average 7.11 points per game. The Tigers are also first in the Big 12 in assists with 20 to average 2.22 assists per outing. Missouri ranks third in overall shots with 175, goals per game with 2.44 and saves with 4.33.
Tigers in the Rankings
Missouri jumps back into the 2001 rankings after going 1-1 in the opening weekend of Big 12 play. The Tigers come in as the No. 10 selection in both the NSCAA/Adidas and SoccerBuzz Central Region polls. Missouri joins five other Big 12 opponents on the lists including, Nebraska (1), Texas A&M (2), Texas (4), Kansas (8/7) and Oklahoma (9/8).
Scouting Nebraska
The Cornhuskers are 6-1 on the year with a 1-0 Big 12 record. Nebraska picked up its only loss of the season to No. 4 ranked Notre Dame 1-0. In conference play, the Huskers own a 4-0 victory over Baylor.
Nebraska is outshooting its opponents 195-to-57 and has allowed just eight opponent goals in seven games. The Husker defense has also been keeping the opposition to just 1.1 shots on goal per outing.
Christine Latham leads the Huskers with 14 points and six goals on the year. She also has two assists and two game-winning goals. Latham recorded her third multiple-goal game of the season scoring two against Baylor. Meghan Anderson is second for Nebraska with 11 points. She has four goals and three assists.
Goalkeeper Erin Miller anchors Nebraska in the box. She is 6-1 on the year playing 615 minutes. She has made 26 saves, allowed seven goals and posts a 1.02 goals against average. Miller also owns one shutout victory.
Last season, Nebraska recorded a 22-2 record. The Cornhuskers went 9-1 to finish first in Big 12 Conference standings and advanced to the NCAA Tournament and rounded down the 2000 season ranked ninth in the NCAA. Nebraska returns eight starters and 16 letterwinners to the 2001 squad. Nebraska leads the MU-NU series 8-0.
Scouting Iowa State
The Cyclones are 3-4 with a 1-0 Big 12 record. Iowa State defeated Baylor 2-1 to earn its first conference victory before facing Kansas on Fri., Oct. 5.
Iowa State is led by Nicole Wilcox with eight points. She has scored three goals and two assists to lead the team. Nikki Gamble is second for the Cyclones with five points from two goals and one assist.
Karen Hasselman leads ISU in the box with a 3-3 record. She has played 522 minutes, made 36 saves and allowed 12 goals for a 2.07 goals against average. She also owns two shutouts on the season.
Iowa State rounded down the 2000 season with a 7-10-2 record going 3-6-1 in the Big 12 to finish ninth in league standings. The Cyclones return nine starters and 10 letterwinners this season. Missouri leads the MU-ISU series 4-2.
Tigers Last Ups
Missouri is 6-3 after opening the Big 12 Conference season with a 1-1 weekend against Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. In their conference opener, the Tigers made an incredible come-from-behind turn around to defeat the Cowgirls 3-2. OSU scored two goals in the first half. Despite the obstacle, MU came back to defeat the Cowgirls scoring three goals in the final 45 minutes of play.
The Missouri-Oklahoma game started off much like the OSU game. Oklahoma scored within the first five minutes of play to leave Mizzou with a 1-0 deficit at the half. The Sooners opened the second period with another goal to lead 2-0. Despite heroic efforts, the Tigers were only able to put in one goal during the second half to drop the game 1-0.
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.
McLellan is tied for third on the team overall with seven points. She has three goals and one assist. She has taken 11 shots, including seven shots on goal, to post a .636 shots on goal percentage. She also has one game-winning goal on the year.
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 Crosset. 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.
Dynamite Davis
All-Big 12 candidate Adrienne 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.
Davis recorded her eighth assist of the season flicking a pass to Melissa McLellan to help score MU's only goal against Oklahoma.
In just nine games, the sophomore has scored 16 points. She has four goals and leads the team with eight assists. She has taken 34 shots overall, including 18 shots on goal to post a .529 shots on goal percentage.
Davis tops the Big 12 Conference with eight assists to average 1.14 assists per outing. She also ranks third in the league with 16 points to average 2.29 points per game. She is second in the Big 12 with 4.86 shots per game, is 10th in goals scored and ninth in goals per game.
Getting the Proof on Peabody
Melissa Peabody continues to rack up points for the Tigers. The freshman scored two goals against Drury to boost her season tally to five. She is second on the team with 10 points and leads the Tigers in goals scored.
The forward 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.
In Big 12 Conference standings, Peabody ranks third in shot with 37 to average 4.11 shots per outing. She is also fifth in goals and third in game-winning goals. Peabody ranks 11th in the Big 12 in overall points. She was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week for the week of Sept. 11.
Defense is the Key
All-Big 12 candidate Dyana Russell picked up another offensive accolade in the Tigers' topping of Drury. The senior dished out her first assist of the season to help Missouri to a victory. The point marks Russell's third of the season adding to an unassisted goal against Iowa.
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 seven games, she has helped the squad keep their opponents to just 53 shot on goal attempts to average just 11.4 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.
She 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 Crosset have proven themselves as valuable assets to the Missouri defensive line. Both players have started all nine games for the Tigers, playing over 80 minutes each game. Hibbert and Crosset add volumes of speed to the Tiger defensive game as well as impressive control and vision. Joining Russell and senior Mandy Waters, the foursome serve as a solid force keeping its opponents to just 53 shots on goal in 810 minutes of play, including a perfect shutout game against Indiana State where the Tigers outshot the Sycamores 34-0.
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. Along side Suzy Probst and Steph Brennan, Moore adds a great deal of depth, control and leadership to the MU half field.
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 fourth on the team with two goals and four points on the season.
In the Net
Megan Duncan and Stephanie Krawczyk once again prove to be a cunning pair in the Missouri backfield. Each goalkeeper has played valuable minutes for the Tigers in the net this season. Duncan is 4-3 on the year and Krawczyk posts a 2-0 tally.
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 ninth in the Big 12 in shutouts.
Duncan made her inaugural appearance with a 1-0 shutout against North Texas. She was only forced to make one save in the game. She recorded her second shutout victory against Iowa making six saves in the 2-0 triumph. The sophomore picked up her third win of the season against Drury. She made five saves and allowed one goal in the game. Overall, the Tulsa, Okla., native has made 34 saves and allowed 11 goals to record a 1.76 goals against average. Duncan is third in the Big 12 in saves and fourth with 4.86 saves per game. She also ranks third in shutouts and seventh in goals against average.
Tiger Team Notes
* Missouri set a season mark recording three back-to-back shutouts against North Texas, Indiana State and Iowa.
* The Tigers also set a season record with a five-game home win streak. It is the most consecutive victories MU has claimed in Audrey J. Walton Soccer Complex.
? In its opening game, Missouri topped the record book when a crowd of 1,926 cheered the Tigers to a 3-2 victory over Memphis.
? Freshmen Lacy Moore, Kim Hibbert and Melissa Peabody played all 90 minutes against the No. 1 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels.
? North Carolina set a new opponent record against the Tigers with 11 single-game assists. Texas A&M held the previous record against MU with seven back in 1999. Likewise, the Tar Heels set the opponent record with 24 points scored against MU.
? Missouri's 5-0 season start was the best opener in program history.
? Freshman Shea Swoboda turned out an impressive weekend helping the Tiger defeat the Oklahoma State Cowgirls. Swoboda tied the game for MU when she headed in a corner kick sent in by defender Mandy Waters.
? Defender Carrie Crosset chipped in her second assist of the season helping Karen Bauer score against Oklahoma State. Crosset has two points on the year overall.
