Mizzou Prepares for Oklahoma and Oklahoma State
10/8/2002 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Oct. 8, 2002
Up this Week
The Mizzou women's soccer team travels to Norman, Okla., to continue Big 12 Conference play taking on the Oklahoma Sooners on Fri., Oct. 11 at 7:00 p.m. The Tigers return to Audrey J. Walton Stadium that following Sunday when they face the Oklahoma State Cowgirls, on Oct. 13 at 1:00 p.m.
Radio Coverage
All 2002 Missouri home soccer games will be aired on KCOU-Radio 88.1 FM. Dan Hopkins brings all the action of the Tiger season home to fans. Internet broadcasts of each game are also available by logging onto the KCOU website at www.kcou.missouri.edu.
Tiger Promotions
Missouri invites Truman Club members to the Mizzou-Oklahoma State game on Sunday. All Truman Club members receive free admission. In addition, following the game, the Missouri soccer players and coaching staff invite all attendees to a free parent-child soccer clinic. For more information please call the soccer office at (573) 884-1522.
Scouting Oklahoma
After leading the Big 12 Conference with a 6-2 non-conference record opening the 2002 season, Oklahoma has opened its league stanza with a 2-1 record. The Sooners defeated Baylor (4-2), Texas Tech (4-0) and fell to Iowa State in a 2-1 double-overtime loss.
Krissy Bowson leads Oklahoma in the scoring column with 17 points. She is tied with Logan Womack with seven goals on the year; in addition Bowson has three assists. Catherine Wade anchors the Sooners in the goal box. She has played 1,035 minutes and allowed 13 goals for a 1.13 goals against average. She has also made 36 saves and owns five wins.
Oklahoma rounded out the 2001 season with an 11-7-1 record, going 4-5-1 to finish sixth in the Big 12 Conference. Missouri owns the MU-OU series 4-1, although OU won the last decision in a 2-1 victory last year.
Scouting Oklahoma State
Opening the 2002 season with a perfect 8-0 record, the Oklahoma State Cowgirls jumped into Big 12 Conference play taking two wins and a loss to bring their record to 10-1-0. OSU opened the conference season with consecutive road victories over Texas Tech (2-0) and Baylor (2-1), before falling to Iowa State in a 2-1 contest.
The Cowgirls have three athletes owning double digit point totals. Jere Boykin leads the team with 14 points and six goals. Jolene Schweitzer has five goals and two assists for 12 points and Nikki Wojtowicz leads the team with 10 assists. In the goal box, Kat Doud leads OSU playing 933 minutes. She has allowed five goals for a 0.48 goals against average. She has made 26 saves in 2001 and owns a 10-1 record, including five shutouts.
Oklahoma State finished the 2002 season with an 8-10-1 season record and a 2-7-1 mark in conference play to rank ninth in league standings. Missouri leads the MU-OSU series 6-0.
Tiger Results
Mizzou is 7-3-2 opening Big 12 Conference play with a 2-1-1 stanza. After dropping a game to Nebraska (4-0) and tying Colorado (2-2), Missouri claimed two road victories over Texas Tech (5-1) and Baylor (4-3) to boost its standing to third in the Big 12.
The Tigers boast a 5-0-1 road record, including a victory over then No. 23 ranked Miami and a tie of then No. 10 ranked Florida State. In addition to their road tally, the Tigers have set the 2002 season apart playing five overtime games, including four double-overtime matches. Two of Missouri's losses this season have come after the regulation buzzer when the Tigers fell to Indiana in double overtime (2-1) and succumbed to Mississippi (2-1) in an overtime period. Mizzou's third loss of the season was a 4-0 defeat at the hands of then No. 16 ranked Nebraska.
Missouri picked up its second tie of the year battling Colorado to a 2-2 mark. It is the first time the Tigers have recorded two ties in a single season, likewise, Mizzou's five overtime games in a season is also an MU program first. * All rankings are based on where a team was ranked prior to its match with MU.
Mizzou in the Rankings
The Tigers are currently ranked in the Soccer Buzz and NSCAA/adidas Central Region. Missouri's 7-3-2 mark berths the Tigers a fifth-place ranking by Soccer Buzz and an eighth-place nod from the NSCAA. Both marks are up from the previous week when Soccer Buzz positioned Missouri ninth and the NSCAA voted MU 10th.
Tigers in the Big 12
Missouri is currently tied for third in the Big 12 Conference with a 2-1-1 league record. Texas and Texas A&M lead the league with 3-0-0 records while the Tigers tie for third with Kansas. Oklahoma State and Oklahoma are close behind, owning a 2-1-0 record and a fifth-place standing.
The Tigers are second in the league with 69 saves and 214 shots during 2002. Missouri also ranks fifth averaging 2.08 goals and 1.83 assists per game. Mizzou also comes in sixth averaging six points per outing. During Big 12 Conference play, Missouri leads the field with 86 shots in four games. The Tigers are second in points scoring 32 overall averaging 2.75 goals and 2.50 assists per game during league play.
Defensive Dynamic
The key to Missouri's success this season has relied on the strength of the Mizzou defensive capabilities.
Despite the numbers on the box score showing Miami out shooting Missouri 26 to 10, the Tigers' 1-0 victory over the Hurricanes resulted in intense defensive pressure that forced Miami to take the majority of its shots from 20-yards out and consequently forced few difficult saves from goalkeeper Megan Duncan.
Likewise, the Tigers held Bowling Green to just one shot during the first 45 minutes of play. Returning to the second half, the MU defensive effort kept the Falcons to just two more shots in the game.
During Big 12 play, the Tiger defensive staff kept the Texas Tech raiders to just eight shots in the game-the Red Raiders only goal was scored on a penalty kick.
Make Note of Moore
Sophomore phenom Lacy Moore's roll as defensive specialist anchoring the Mizzou backfield has proven to be a quality move for the Tiger lineup. As one of the Tigers' most consistent players, Moore has played every minute of Mizzou's opening games, including four double-overtime contests and MU's overtime loss to Mississippi.
Moore showed her offensive mettle against Texas Tech scoring back-to-back goals to put Mizzou on the board. Using her 5-foot-9 height differential to her advantage, Moore knocked down an assist by Adriene Davis to score Missouri's fist goal. She came back just three minutes later to score in a similar fashion, thumping down a cross from Amber Swinehart to score the game-winner.
The defender's recent scoring onslaught reaffirms her selection to the Nike Tiger Invitational All-Tournament Team commending her efforts against both Illinois and Indiana. Bringing the Tigers through a successful weekend at the Ohio State Invitational, where Missouri picked up consecutive victories over Ohio State and Bowling Green, Moore was also honored as an all-tournament team selection for the second time in 2002.
Hinting on Hibbert
Adding valuable support to the defensive effort, sophomore standard Kim Hibbert has played valuable minutes in the Tigers' opening series providing continuity and fluid movement through the backfield. Hibbert's most dynamic playing feature is her energizing speed.
Using her skills, Hibbert successfully helped hold the entire Bowling Green Falcon starting lineup from taking a single shot during the game. In addition, Hibbert helped shutdown both the Falcon's all-time leading scorer Jill Conover and the Mid-Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year Kristy Coppes.
The Goods on Gibbs
Joining the defensive ranks, sophomore Ashley Gibbs has also filled a starting position for the Tigers in 2002. The defender put forth a thrilling effort against Miami leading the Hurricane shooting onslaught wayward from the Mizzou goal. She again came through for the Tigers against Ohio State and Bowling Green to help the Tigers claim the tournament title. Gibbs helped the Missouri defense thwart the Buckeye's scoring attempts where OSU's only goal in the game was scored on a direct penalty kick from a foul committed in the Mizzou goal box. Likewise, she also assisted the Tigers in keeping BGSU's forward lines to just three shots on goal. Gibbs was honored as an all-tournament team member for her efforts.
Filling a valuable role against Mississippi State, Gibbs earned her first team save of the year deflecting a secondary shot unreachable by goalkeeper Megan Duncan.
Considering Crossett
Senior Carrie Crossett has come in off the bench to make valuable contributions for the Tigers. Playing against Mississippi, the defender stepped in to rejuvenate Missouri's game and help send the Tigers into overtime play. The feisty player shadowed Ole Miss' leading scorer Kelly Renie allowing the forward just one shot on goal during the match.
Based upon her previous efforts, Crossett reemerged on the Mizzou starting lineup during conference action. She played quality defense against No. 16 ranked Nebraska and helped the Tigers hold Colorado to a 2-2 standstill. Crossett was a key factor in the Tigers' 5-1 victory over Texas Tech helping the Tigers keep the Red Raiders to just eight shots in the match.
Tiger Anchor
Goalkeeper Megan Duncan has bolstered the Tigers through five overtime games to play 1,167 minutes in 12 games. She has allowed 19 goals to record a 1.47 goals against average and has made 68 saves on the year.
The mark puts her on top of Big 12 competition in overall saves with her closest conference competitor, Kansas' Meghan Miller, that comes in second with just 55 saves. Consequently however, she has played an average 60 minutes more during the 2002 season than other Big 12 goalkeepers.
Duncan also leads the league averaging 5.67 saves per game. She is also ranked fifth with two shutout victories and is sixth in season goals against average. After four Big 12 matches, the junior is third in the Big 12 making 18 saves against league opponents.
Duncan was honored as the Ohio State Invitational Defensive Most Valuable Player after leading the Tigers to a 2-0 record. In two games, she made nine saves and allowed just one goal to help Mizzou to the invitational title. She also pulled out her second shutout victory in a 1-0 win over BGSU and was named to the all-tournament team.
Duncan earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors after helping the Tigers to the Florida State Classic title. In just two games, Duncan played 200 minutes, made 20 saves and allowed just two goals. Her 11 saves against Miami ranks second in the Big 12 single-game saves for the 2002 season. She also owns two games making nine saves against Florida State and Indiana.
Forward Force
The Missouri offensive effort continues to develop under the pressure of competition. In 12 games, the Tigers have recorded two shutout victories and claimed wins over two top-25 opponents. The combination of speed, skillful positioning and tactical play has set Mizzou's offensive style apart from the competition. Relying heavily on the speed and dexterity of the forward line, the continuity of the Tigers offensive efforts can only increase during conference play.
Dishing on Davis
Capturing the headlines, forward Adriene Davis returns as one of Mizzou's go-to players on the offensive line. Ranked second on the team with 14 points on the year, Davis has scored three goals and leads the team with eight assists. The forward turned up the heat during Big 12 play against Texas Tech and Baylor. In just two games she dished out three assists and scored the game-tying goal that led Mizzou to defeat the Bears.
Against the Red Raiders, Davis collected a misdirected corner kick with a flick to Lacy Moore enabling the defender to score. She came back just 10 minutes later to assist Missy Peabody score the game's third goal. Satisfied with her leg work in the previous game, its was then Davis' turn to throw the sparks. Receiving a pass from midfielder Kristen Heil, Davis rushed a slid past the Baylor keeper. In the second period, she sent a pass through the BU defensive line to give Missy Peabody a one-on-one opportunity to score.
Davis' scoring ingenuity has been a key factor for Mizzou's season. She ranks second in the Big 12 Conference in season assists and is tied for ninth in the Big 12 Conference in season goals. Standing up during league play, Davis is ranked second scoring eight points so far in conference play. She is averaging two points per game, and also leads the field averaging 1.00 assists per conference outing.
Building up the Mizzou record books, Davis' eight assists this season brings her to 25 career assists to rank her second in the all-time career charts. She is just four assists behind Mizzou's current career leader-Nikki Thole who owns 29 career assists.
Peabody Paradigms
Accentuating the forward ranks, Melissa Peabody continues to stun the opposition with her electrifying speed and play making ability. In the last two games, Peabody has scored three goals to help the Tigers defeat both Texas Tech and Baylor. Peabody scored a pair of goals against the Red Raiders, including an unassisted goal. She came back to score the game-winner against Baylor on an assist by Davis.
Peabody leads the team with 17 points on the year scoring six goals and dishing out five assists. The sophomore also leads the Tigers' offensive thrust taking 64 shots, including 25 shots on goal. She also owns three game-winning goals.
The forward leads the Big 12 Conference in shots taken during the 2002 season averaging 5.33 shots per outing. She is also ranked fourth in overall points and seventh in goals. Playing four games in league play, Peabody leads the conference with 26 shots. She has scored seven points during Big 12 play to rank third in the league. In addition, her three conference goals tie her for second in the league.
Swoboda Specs
Offensive reserve player Shea Swoboda has come in off the bench to provide rejuvenated efforts for the Tigers through out the beginning stanza. A hard-nosed forward, Swoboda came out strong against both Mississippi State and Mississippi. Her intensity paid off against the Bulldogs as the sophomore scored her second goal of the season unassisted. Always seeming to be in the right place at the right time, Swoboda successfully redirected a deflected ball with a header to put Missouri on the scoreboard.
Swoboda also boosted the Tigers to victories over OSU and BGSU, the forward put Mizzou on the board against the Buckeyes knocking down a header to give Mizzou a 1-0 lead going into half time intermission.
The forward is ranked sixth on the team with four overall points from two goals. Adding to her offensive threat, Swoboda is shooting 58 percent on goal. Against Big 12 opponents Texas Tech and Baylor, she supported a perfect shot on goal percentage taking four-of-four shots on goal in two games.
Assessing Swinehart
Freshman Amber Swinehart has started her Mizzou career solidly earning a starting position in just her first season. The forward has risen as the Tigers' second leading scorer putting in five goals and two assists to start her collegiate career ranked third on the team.
Swinehart added to her season assist tally helping Lacy Moore score the game-winning goal against Texas Tech. The freshman lobbed a cross through to the center of the Red Raider box enabling the defender to head the ball in. She came back against Baylor to score the Tigers third goal in the first period. Swinehart followed Moore's example heading in a cross sent in by Melissa McLellan. Swinehart scored her first goal in Big 12 Conference play tying the Tigers 2-2 against Colorado. Midfielder Suzy Probst slashed a ball through the Buffalo defense giving Swinehart the game-tying shot.
The scoring onslaught has tied Swinehart in 10th-place in the Big 12 Conference in goals. She also ranks second on the team shooting 71 percent on goal. She has taken 12 of her 17 shots on the year to the net-including perfect games against Texas Tech and Baylor making two-of-two on the weekend.
Noting Nobis
Also playing valuable minutes on the Mizzou forward line, freshman Jennifer Nobis leads the newcomers with 27 shots, including 10 shots on goal. After throttling the oppositions' goal, the forward found the net against Mississippi scoring Mizzou's only goal against the Rebels. Positioned inside the box, she collected a well-placed flick from Melissa Peabody for the score.
After a valiant offensive effort, Nobis was able to help the Missouri scoreboard dishing out an assist against Ohio State. The freshman used her incredible speed to dribble a ball from the half field where she was able to dish a pass to fellow forward Melissa McLellan. Although McLellan was unable to get a shot off, her one-touch lift enabled Shea Swoboda to score with a header.
Mizzou Midfielders
The Tigers' characteristic playing style of fast paced skillful ball movement centers upon the abilities of its half field line. Serving as the crux of both Mizzou's offensive and defensive capabilities, the Tiger midfield has diligently looked to improve its vision and touch. Playing a three-four-three formation, Missouri's talents and continued improvements look to be a key factor in the team's success during Big 12 Conference play.
Breaking Down Bauer
Aiding the Tigers' offensive calculations, sophomore Karen Bauer jumps in as one of Mizzou's most influential setup players. The midfielder stepped in during Big 12 Conference play to boost the Tigers to a 2-1-1 record. She helped the Tigers topple Texas Tech dishing out an assist to help Suzy Probst score against the Red Raiders. She also served as a valuable component in Missouri's ranks in a tough 4-3 battle over Baylor.
Dishing out her first assist of the season against Indiana, Bauer fills the dual role of both offensive threat and backup support. After a valiant defensive effort helping to spoil 26 Miami shot attempts, Bauer showed her scoring prowess scoring the Tigers' only goal against the Hurricanes on a penalty kick. She came back to score her second goal on the year against Mississippi State receiving an assist from Missy Peabody for a shot five-yards from the Bulldog goal box.
Bauer is ranked fourth on the team in overall scoring with six points from two goals and two assists. She also owns one game-winning goal.
Harping on Heil
Sophomore Kristen Heil has assumed a starting role in the Tiger half field this season utilizing her speed and cut throat playing style to outmaneuver the opposition. A solid defensive player, Heil is capable of quickly making the swing transition from offensive threat to defensive hazard.
Showing her attacking mettle for the first time this season, Heil scored the game-winning goal in Missouri's 3-1 victory over Ohio State. After an unsuccessful Missouri shot struck the Buckeye's post, Heil was able to collect the rebound for a triumphant 12-yard goal.
Bolstered by her previous accolades, Heil has stepped up during Big 12 play against Baylor. The sophomore scored the game-tying goal on an assist from Adriene Davis to re-even the field 1-1. She turned around just minutes later to turn the tables and assist Davis and push Mizzou to a one-point lead.
Heil is ranked fifth on the team with five points from two goals and one assist. She is shooting 53 percent on goal taking eight of her 15 shots to the net. She also owns a game-winning goal.
Exploring Pusch
Midfielder Erica Pusch has joined the starting lineup as a freshman this year boosting the Tigers' exhilarating speed and enhancing Missouri's consistency and poise. Named to the all-tournament team following two solid performances in the Nike Tiger Invitational, the freshman continues to elevate Mizzou's technicality.
Scoring her first collegiate goal against Illinois, Pusch put Mizzou over the top scoring the game-winner on a ball served by Missy Peabody.
During Big 12 Conference play, Pusch has diligently used her charisma to out maneuver some of the nation's best players. Playing a successful swing position complimentary with defender Carrie Crossett, Pusch can advance on the offensive in addition to filling in as a defensive specialist.
Pusch leads the Tigers with an.833 shot on goal percentage taking five of six shots on goal.
Pursuing Probst
Senior Suzy Probst once again fills in as one of the cornerstones of the Missouri program providing invaluable support in the half field. A continual presence, Probst's keen insight and vision serve as one of Missouri's most valuable assets improving fluid ball movement through the midfield.
Like many of her teammates, Probst has prospered facing the rigors of conference play. The defensive specialist scored her first point of the season dishing an assist to help freshman Amber Swinehart score the game-tying goal against Colorado. She scored her first goal of the season against Texas Tech taking an assist from fellow midfielder Karen Bauer.
