Sept. 23, 2005

Columbia, MO -- Missouri will host No. 14 Texas A&M tonight at Walton Stadium at 7:00 p.m. in the opening game of Big 12 Conference Play as the Tigers look to bounce back from a tough 1-0 loss to No. 17 Cal Poly on Sunday afternoon. Last season, Missouri defeated No. 6 Texas A&M 2-1 in College Station, Texas despite playing most of the game with only 10 players.After Tonight's game, the Tigers will take on the Baylor Bears at home on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 1:00 p.m.

Come celebrate Jimmy Buffett Night with the Tigers at the game. All Parrotheads receive $2 admission and can take part in a Jimmy Buffett Trivia Contest while listening to Buffett music thoughtout the match.

LAST WEEK... A defensive letdown in the beginning of Missouri's contest against then-No.17 Cal Poly on Sunday, Sept. 18 allowed the Tigers to give up a goal in the first three minutes of the game. Despite outshooting the Mustangs on the day, the Tigers could not connect on any of their 18 shots on goal in the 1-0 loss. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak and a six-game unbeaten streak for Mizzou.

The Tigers recorded their fifth win of the season against the College of Charlston on Friday, Sept. 16 in dramatic fashion. With the score knotted at 0-0 with 20 seconds left in the game, junior Aria Hudetz lofted a corner kick into the box that senior Jennifer Nobis headed in from two yards out.

On Tuesday, Sept. 13, Missouri's game against North Dakota State was cancelled due to lighning in the area. The two teams waited through a two and a half hour rain delay following the first half only to have the game called because of lightning and rain.

LEADING THE WAY Sophomore goalie Laura Buehrig anchors a defense that is ninth in the nation in save percentage (.905) and 15th in shutout percentage (.630) and senior Jennifer Nobis ranks No. 17 nationally in assists per game (.710).

Four Tigers also find themselves ranked in the top five in Big 12 Conference statistics, as of Sept. 21. Nobis leads the league in shots per game (5.43), is second in total assists (five) and assists per game (.710), tied for second in game-winning goals (two) and tied for fourth in total shots (38). Senior Amber Swinehart tops the conference in game winning goals (three) and is tied for fifth with junior Aia Hudetz in goals (four) and goals per game (.500). Buehrig leads the Big 12 in save percentage (.889), is third in total saves (32) and goals against average (.530), tied for third in shutouts (three) and is fourth in saves per game (4.0).

IN THE RANKINGS Missoui finds itself ranked in both the NSCAA/adidas and Soccer Buzz Central Region rankings for the week of Sept. 13-20. In the NSCAA/adidas ranking, Mizzou moved up to No. 8 after a No. 9 ranking last week. Friday's opponent, Texas A&M, Texas, Tennessee, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado and Saint Louis are ahead of the Tigers. Vanderbilt comes in at No. 9 and Oklahoma and SMU are tied at No. 10.

Missouri received votes in the Soccer Buzz National Top 30 for the first time this season and improved to No. 4 from No. 7 last week in Soccer Buzz's Central Region poll. Friday's opponent, Texas A&M, is ranked first, followed by Vanderbilt and Texas. After the Tigers, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, St. Louis, Oklahoma and Mississippi round out the top 10. Ranked 11th through 15th are Tennessee, Colorado, Iowa State, SMU and Memphis, respectively.

RECORD WATCH As of Sept. 21, five Tigers find themselves ranked in the top 10 in Missouri's career recordbook. Senior Jennifer Nobis ranks third in game-winning goals (ten), shots (207) and shots on goal (98), fifth in points (73), goals (27) and is tied for fifth in assists (19). Senior Amber Swinehart is seventh in game-winning goals (four), ninth in shots on goal (45) and ranks 10th in shots (110). Senior Erica Pusch is eighth in shot on goal percentage (.538) and ninth in games started (64), junior Aria Hudetz ranks 10th in shot on goal percentage (.513) and sophomore goalkeeper Laura Buehrig finds herself ranked second in goals against average (1.27), tied for third in wins (12) and shutouts (five), fourth in minutes in goal (2281:15), ranked fourth in wins (12) and fifth in games started in goal (26), saves (103), winning percentage (.522) and games played in goal (26).

AWARDS ABOUND For the second week in a row, the Big 12 Conference named a Tiger as one of its Players of the Week on Sept. 13. Freshman Mo Redmond earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors after posting five points in Missouri's two games on the week. Sophomore goalie Laura Buehrig earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 6.

ABOUT TEXAS A&M For the third straight week, Texas A&M is ranked No. 14 in the NSCAA/adidas national poll after wins against Washington and No. 16 Stanford last week at the Tennessee Lady Vol Classic. The Aggies are 5-1-1 on the season with wins over Stephen F. Austin, TCU, East Carolina, Washington and Stanford. The only two blemishes on the Aggies' schedule come courtesy of the state of Michigan. Texas A&M fell to Michigan State 1-0 in overtime and posted a 1-1 double-overtime tie with Michigan.

MU vs. THE AGGIES Missouri has faced Texas A&M nine times in the program's history, with the Aggies holding a 6-3 advantage in wins. However, the Tigers have won the last two meetings with Texas A&M. Last season, Missouri beat No. 4 Texas A&M 2-1 despite playing most of the game with only 10 players. In 2003, the Tigers recorded a 5-4 overtime victory over the Aggies.

Sophomores Ashlee Pistorius, the 2004 Big 12 Rookie of the Year, and Melissa Garey both have six goals and one assist on the season for 13 points. Senior goalie Kati Jo Spisak anchors the Aggie defense with a 0.28 goal against average and a .867 save percentage.

ABOUT BAYLOR Baylor enters this weekend with a 2-5-1 mark on the season. After earning their second win of the seaon against Northwestern State, the Bears have lost three consecutive games to Boston University, SMU and No. 3 Portland. Baylor opens Big 12 play on Friday night against Kansas prior to Sunday's matchup with Mizzou.

Bear senior Tiffany Boshers and junior Anna Schuch currently lead the team with eight points apiece on three goals and two assists on the year. In goal for Baylor is sophomore Ashley Holder, who has a 1.91 goal against average and .789 save percentage in 2005.

MU vs. THE BEARS The Tigers hold a slim 6-5 all-time record against the Bears. After Baylor ended Missouri's 2000 season with a 3-2 overtime win in the Big 12 Tournment, the Tigers have reeled off four-straight wins against the Bears.