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Oct. 20, 2005
COLUMBIA, Mo.-- The Tigers close out the home regular season schedule this weekend with games against Big 12 foe Texas on Friday, Oct. 21 at 7:00 p.m. and non-conference opponent Colorado College on Sunday, Oct. 23 at 1:00 p.m. Missouri will hold Senior Day during Sunday's match and honor the four Tiger seniors on this year's squad prior to kickoff.
Fans who bring ticket stubs from the Nebraska football game on Saturday, Oct. 22 will receive a discounted ticket price of $2 for Sunday's contest.
SUPER SENIORS This year's senior class has left an undeniable mark on the Tiger soccer program and the Missouri record books. Jennifer Nobis, Erica Pusch, Kira Reyes and Amber Swinehart made an impact at Missouri both on and off the soccer field during their time at Mizzou. In their four seasons at Missouri, the senior class has an overall record of 40-33-7 and participated in one NCAA and three Big 12 tournaments.
LAST WEEK After falling behind Colorado 3-0 in Boulder, the Tigers scored two unanswered goals to put Missouri back in the game. Junior midfielder Elyse Nikconchuk scored her first goal of the season after one-timing a rebound from senior forward Jennifer Nobis into the net. With less than 18 minutes remaining in the game, Nobis headed home a corner kick for the Tigers' second goal. Senior defender Erica Pusch recorded assists on both goals for Missouri. The Tigers had chances to tie the game in the closing minutes but the Buffs held on for a 3-2 win.
Missouri returned to the field on Sunday, Oct. 16 against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in Lubbock, Texas. Nobis put the Tigers on top seven minutes into the match after running down a half-field pass from junior midfielder Aria Hudetz and beating the Red Raider goalie one-on-one. Senior forward Amber Swinehart increased the Tiger lead to 2-0 early in the second half after gathering a flick from Nobis and firing her shot into the net. After Texas Tech scored to bring the Red Raiders within one, Swinehart struck again and Hudetz clinched the 4-1 win for Missouri by scoring a goal of her own.
A TALE OF TWO HALVES Of the 32 goals scored by the Tigers this season, 22 have come in the second half. Since Missouri notched two first half goals against Texas A&M on Sept. 23, 11 of the last 13 Tiger tallies have come in the second half.
HOME COOKIN' On the season, the Tigers post a 6-2-1 record in the comfy confines of Walton Stadium compared to a 2-3-2 mark on the road. Additionally, 20 of the 32 goals scored by Missouri this season have come at home. The Tigers average 2.17 goals per game at home against 0.76 goals allowed per game. On the road, Missouri score 1.61 and give up 1.34 goals per game.
LEADING THE WAY With three assists over the weekend, senior forward Jennifer Nobis moved up in the national rankings to seventh in assists per game (0.80). Three Tigers also find themselves ranked in the top five in Big 12 Conference statistics, as of Oct. 17. Nobis ranks second in total assists (12), assists per game (0.80) and shots per game (5.0), third in total shots (75) and is fourth in points (24) and points per game (1.60). Senior Amber Swinehart leads the league in game-winning goals (five) and is fourth in goals (nine) and goals per game (0.56) and sophomore goalie Laura Buehrig ranks third in saves (75) and save percentage (.815) and fourth in saves per game (4.69).
RECORD WATCH As of Oct. 18, four Tigers find themselves ranked in the top 10 in Missouri's career record book. Senior Jennifer Nobis ranks second in game-winning assists (8), third in points (86), assists (26), game-winning goals (nine), shots (244) and shots on goal (114) and is tied for third in goals (30). Senior Amber Swinehart is tied for fourth in game-winning goals (six), sixth in shots (135) and eighth in shots on goal (58). Senior Erica Pusch is tied for seventh in games started (72) and ninth in shot on goal percentage (.517). Junior Aria Hudetz ranks 10th in shot on goal percentage (.514) and sophomore goalkeeper Laura Buehrig finds herself ranked second in goals against average (1.35), third in wins (15) and minutes in goal (3031:32), third in shutouts (six) and ranks fourth in saves (146) and fifth in winning percentage (.517).
ABOUT TEXAS With three-straight wins, the Longhorns stand at 8-6-1 overall and 5-3 in conference play this season. On the year, Texas has defeated SMU, Auburn, Rice, Baylor, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Iowa State and Nebraska, fell to Michigan, BYU, Portland, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Colorado and tied Michigan State. For the season, the Longhorns are 1-4-1 on the road.
The Longhorns are led by sophomores Kelsey Carpenter and Caitlin Kennedy, who both have 12 points with five goals and two assists in 2005. A two-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, freshman goalie Dianne Pfenninger has started seven games and seen action in all 15 of the Longhorn's contests. Pfenninger allows just 0.89 goals per game and has a .811 save percentage on the season.
MU VS. THE LONGHORNS Texas boasts a 7-2-1 record over Missouri and have won the last five matches against the Tigers. Last season, the Longhorns bested Missouri 6-0 in Austin, Texas.
ABOUT COLORADO COLLEGE The match with Missouri will be Colorado College's first game since beating Texas Tech 1-0 on Oct. 7. As an independent, the Tigers have faced teams from 10 different conferences, including two other Big 12 schools. Colorado College is 7-4-3 on the season with defeats over Iowa, Montana, Central Michigan, Providence, Nebraska, Air Force and Texas Tech. The tigers have lost to Iowa State, Virginia Tech, Oakland and Stanford and tied Davidson, UC Davis and St. Mary's.
Sophomore forwards Lisa Balsama and Amara Wilson lead the Tigers with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Both have six goals on the year. Freshman goalkeeper Geneva Sills has logged every minute in goal for Colorado College this season. She posts an impressive 0.82 goals against average and .874 save percentage.
MU VS. THE TIGERS Sunday's match marks the first time Missouri and Colorado College face off.