Oct. 12, 2003

Box Score

Columbia, Mo.-Playing their most rigorous and physical game of the season, the Missouri Tigers benched three starters in a 2-0 Border War loss to Kansas. The defeat drops Mizzou to 6-7-1 on the year, with an 0-4-1 Big 12 Conference mark.

Missouri rearranged its starting lineup pushing Ashley Gibbs back to the defensive line and pulling Kim Hibbert up to the defensive midfield position to face the Jayhawks. Backed by a 2-0 victory over Iowa State on Friday, Kansas gunned into the first half aggressively antagonizing the Mizzou defense.

Jessica Kilpatrick primed the Jayhawks first effort slamming a dangerous header inside the penalty area. Mizzou keeper Stephanie Krawczyk was poised however and knocked the ball over the goal to force a KU corner kick. Keeping Missouri's defense on top, it was Kim Hibbert's turn to awe fans when she made an impressive team save inside the goal box when she deflected a shot sent in on the KU the cross.

Offensively, Missouri struggled to set up scoring plays as they were forced to contend with a packed KU penalty box with each run. Countering each scoring play the Tigers developed, the Jayhawks pulled all four defenders and three midfielders into the cramped box. In result, Mizzou's offense was reduced to something akin to a game of pinball.

Missouri kept striving to find a hole in KU's over-manned defense. Midfielder Amber Swinehart came through with several quality plays helping to create offensive opportunities for the Tigers. Forward Shea Swoboda came in at the end of the first period giving Mizzou a welcomed boost taking a close shot with just two minutes left in the half. KU goalkeeper Meghan Miller came up with a tight save however to hinder Swoboda's efforts and spark a Jayhawk return.

Monica Brothers brought a ball up the right sideline to send a cross into the Tiger goal box. Forward Lacey Novak ran through the defensive line to take a shot directly in front of the net.

The second period proved dismal for Mizzou as the Tigers were thrown one disappointment after another. Aggressively looking to score and defend, play became heated and physical sidelining several players due to injuries. Midfielder Ashley Gibbs was pulled from the game at the beginning of the second half after suffering a knee injury. The Jayhawks utilized Gibbs' absence to score their second goal of the game. Punting the ball down field, Kansas forced a corner kick on the far right flank. The resulting cross was deflected sending the ball back to the feet of Lauren Williams who flicked a pass to Caroline Smith just outside the top of the penalty box. Smith launched a shot to set Kansas up with a 2-0 lead.

Down by two and without on of its starting players, no foreshadowing could have predicted the burdens the Tigers were still to face in the game, including the loss of two more Mizzou players.

Defensive half back Elyse Nikunchuk was expelled from the match receiving two yellow cards. Contending against KU's Stacy Leeper, the pair competed for a 50/50 ball in the midfield. Both taking simultaneous slides, the two players collided. As a result, Leeper was taken from the field with a knee injury and Nikunchuk was removed from play.

Playing 10-on-11 for the last nine minutes of play, the Tiger injury roster picked up its final player when Jennifer Nobis re-injured her shoulder. Suffering a separated shoulder against Colorado, Nobis worked her way back into the starting lineup with rehabilitation. After a foul by KU's Holly Gault, Nobis was pulled from competition for the second time this year.

The playing status of Gibbs and Nobis in Missouri's upcoming games against Texas and Texas A&M, October 17 and 19, will be determined following medical evaluations tomorrow. Nikunchuk's expulsion will also sideline her from Friday's competition against the Longhorns