Sept. 15, 2004
Tiger Itinerary
Mizzou plays a split schedule this weekend taking in both a road and home game. The Tigers face the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington, Ky., on Fri., Sept. 17 at 1:30 p.m., before rounding out the weekend hosting the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers on Sun., Sept. 19 at 1:00 p.m., in Audrey J. Walton Stadium.
Tickets for Missouri home games are available by calling the Mizzou Ticket Office at 884-PAWS. Fans can also purchase tickets at the stadium on game day.
Mizzou Hosts Free Youth Clinic
Coach Bryan Blitz and the Mizzou soccer team are scheduled to host free youth soccer clinic on Sun., Sept. 19th at Audrey J. Walton Soccer Stadium.
The Tigers invite youth 13-years-old and under to participate in the clinic following the Mizzou-Loyola soccer match at 1:00 p.m. Admission to the clinic is free with paid admission to the soccer match, $5 for adults and $3 for youth. For more information, please contact the Mizzou Athletic Department at 573-882-0362.
Catch All the Action
Tiger fans can tune into the action of each Mizzou home game listening to live radio coverage on KCOU 88.1 FM.
Former Tigers Megan Duncan and Melissa McLellan join the cast of commentators providing play-by-play action during each Mizzou home game.
Fans can also access the broadcast by logging on to the KCOU website at www.kcou.mu.org.
Mizzou Livestats
Mizzou fans can access live statistics updates during all Tiger home games by logging onto the Missouri website at www.mutigers.com.
To access the Gametracker program, jump to the Mizzou soccer schedule page and select livestats to access minute-by-minute game results.
Kentucky Livestats
Fans wishing to access livestats for the Missouri-Kentucky game can log onto the UK website at:
http://live.ukathletics.com/2004/soccer_womens/game04/xlive.htm.
Scouting Kentucky
The Wildcats are 2-4 on the season coming off a two-game win streak. Kentucky opened the year with a 4-0 deficit, including two overtime heartbreakers to #20 Michigan (1-2) and West Virginia (2-3). Kentucky also suffered a loss to fellow Mizzou opponent Wisconsin, 3-1.
Last season, Kentucky went 6-9-1 logging a 1-3-2 league record to finish fourth in the Southeastern Conference. The Wildcats return 18 letterwinners from the 2003 season, including five starters.
The Missouri-Kentucky series record is deadlocked with a 0-0-1 history. The two teams tied a 1-1 match during the 1998 season.
Scouting Loyola-Chicago
The Ramblers are 3-1 on the season following a three-game opening win streak. Loyola-Chicago defeated Xavier (1-0 ot), Valparaiso (5-1) and Liberty (2-1) before suffering its first loss of the season to Western Michigan (1-2).
Loyola-Chicago rounded out the 2003 season with a 10-11 season record and a 1-5 mark during Horizon League play. Despite a sixth-place league finish, the Ramblers stormed back to claim the conference tournament crown.
Mizzou transfer Lauren Vineyard was named as the Horizon League Newcomer of the Year last season before making the transition to the black and gold.
Missouri leads the Mizzou-Loyola-Chicago series 4-1. The Tigers lost the programs' first meeting in 1997 (3-0), before going on a four-game winning streak. Mizzou defeated the Ramblers (5-1) in its last meeting in 2002.
Weekend Recap
Facing two opponents ranked in the national top 25, the Tigers proved they can contend with the country's finest programs. Mizzou dropped a close 1-0 game to #23 Stanford and tied #9 Florida 2-2 to bring its season record to 2-3-1.
Falling to Stanford, Missouri outshot the Cardinal 15-to-11, including a 5-to-2 shot on goal ratio. Despite the marks however, the Tigers were unable to come back from a 1-0 deficit aquired in the first half when Stanford's Leah Tapscott scored the game's only goal.
Undaunted by the loss, Missouri battled the #9 ranked Gators to a 2-2 deadlock after two sudden-death overtime periods.
Florida put itself on the board first when Gator Stephanie Freeman paired with Christine Johnson to work a diversion that allowed Freeman to score a shot from around 18-yards out.
The Tigers retaliated tying up the game when Jena Lind scored the first collegiate goal of her career. Lind challenged goalkeeper Brittni Goodwin one-on-one to put Mizzou on the board with a 1-1 comeback. The rally inspired Mizzou's second goal early in the second half when Jennifer Nobis battled for possesion inside the Florida goalbox. The ball was deflected off a Gator defender where Nobis chipped it over Goodwin's head to score.
Riding on a 2-1 lead, Missouri continued to test Florida's limits. Despite a harrowing effort however, the Gators came back to tie the game. Earning a cornerkick, Ashley Kellgren slated a pass to KeLeigh Hudson outside the Mizzou goalbox where she ripped a shot. The Tiger defensive line was there with a block, but before MU keeper Laura Buehrig could secure the ball however, Gator Christine Johnson tapped a shot over the goal line to tie the game 2-2.
Despite tremendous play on both sides of the field, the teams battled to a 2-2 standstill through the remainder of regulation play and two sudden-death overtime periods.
Tigers in the Rankings
Opening the 2004 season ranked 10th in the NSCAA/adidas Central Region, the Tigers continue to receive national acclaim. Mizzou jumps two additional spots from its ninth-place ranking last week, to come in as the NSCAA/adidas Central Region's seventh finest team. Mizzou also made a step up the rankings to come in 10th in the SoccerBuzz Central Region Poll this week.
Keeping pace with a rigorous schedule, the Tigers are poised to play nine teams ranked in at least one weekly national poll including (ranking marks the highest received in 2004):
Texas A&M - #4 SoccerBuzz
Texas - #4 Soccer America
Florida - #4 SoccerBuzz
Kansas - #6 SoccerBuzz
Stanford - #13 Soccer America
Illinois - #11 NSCAA/adidas
Colorado - #17 Soccer America
Nebraska - #18 Soccer America
Wisconsin - #16 NSCAA/adidas
Tigers to Watch
* Junior Jennifer Nobis leads the Tigers in scoring with five goals and 10 points. She has scored a goal in five of Mizzou's six games, including four consecutive games to own the longest opening scoring streak in Mizzou history. The forward has put in goals against three top 25 programs this season including #11 Illinois, #16 Wisconsin and #4 Florida.
* Defender Karen Bauer leads the team in assists and is second in overall scoring owning two points. Bauer own two corner kick assists scoring against Northwestern and Wisconsin. She also scored the game-winning penalty kick against the NW Wildcats.
* Freshman Jena Lind put in her first collegiate goal scoring the game-tyer against then #9 ranked Florida. She is third on the team owning two points.
* Defenders Ashley Gibbs and Elyse Nikonchuk are tied for fourth on the team scoring one point from one assist. Gibbs helped Nobis score against Illinois, while Nikonchuk aided Nobis against Northwestern.
* Defeating Southwest Missouri State 7-2 in a preliminary match, forward Kristen Heil scored the first hat trick of her career against the Bears. Defender Karen Bauer paralleled the feat dishing out three assists in the game. The marks are a personal best for both athletes.
* Kristen Heil was honored as the Missouri Varsity M Player of the Week following her performance during the Mizzou-SMS game.
* Forward Aria Hudetz earned the Missouri Varsity M Player of the Week honor for the week of Sept. 6-12.
* Senior forward Melissa Peabody and sophomore defender Elyse Nikonchuk were each named to the 2004 All-Big 12 Soccer Coaches' Preseason Team.
Additional Tiger Highlights
* The Missouri defensive line has contributed every assist so far this season. Defenders Karen Bauer, Elyse Nikonchuk and Ashley Gibbs have together supplied six of 18 Mizzou's points.
* Falling to #5 ranked Florida last season (4-0), the Tigers bring their series record against the Gators to 0-1-1.
* The Tigers' 1-0 victory over Iowa brings the MU-Iowa series lead to 2-0.
* Mizzou's victory over Northwestern is the second consecutive win the Tigers have claimed over the Wildcats. Defeating NW last year 2-0, Missouri is now just one game shy of tying the series (2-3) against Northwestern.
* Opening the year with a 1-1 record, the Tigers have opened their fifth straight season with a win, including their second consecutive season opening victory on the road.
* In exhibition play, Missouri shut down Southwest Missouri State during second period play. Missouri left the Bears without a single shot in the remaining 45 minutes while the Tigers went on a five-goal tear.