Aug. 17, 2006
After more than one week of official practices, the Missouri soccer team travels to Nashville, Tenn., for a preseason contest against Vanderbilt on Friday, Aug. 18 at 12 p.m. CT. The game against Vanderbilt is the Tigers' only preseason game before the season officially kicks off next weekend.
Season Outlook
With 10 seasons under its belt, the Missouri soccer program is poised to start the next 10 years on the right track. With a roster loaded with experienced veterans and some of the country's best incoming talent, 2006 looks like a year to do just that.
"We really have a good mix of experience and newcomers," said Head Coach Bryan Blitz. "Our biggest loss was scoring so that will be a priority in the new season. I see the freshmen stepping in and having an opportunity to contribute right away, especially on the attack."
The Tigers will look to build upon a spring season that served as a springboard for the fall. It prepared Mizzou for the schedule's top-notch opponents and let the squad try out new ideas.
"We saw a really high level of opponents in the spring," said Blitz. "It exposed some of our weaknesses and showed our strengths. We also got to experiment with different formations that we'd never played before. It was a sign to us that we could play a number of different styles."
The new formations proved successful as the Tigers posted a 3-2-1 mark in the spring against such competition as the full Canadian National Team and 2005 NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen team Marquette. In these games, a small Missouri roster gained valuable experience in high level game situations.
"Some other players got a chance to see some playing time and really stepped up," said Blitz. "It was such a small group in the spring that everyone really contributed a lot. Our whole team gained a lot of experience."
Over the summer, a number of Tigers gained even more experience as players in the Women's Premier Soccer League, the best women's soccer league in the nation and the second best league in the world.
Five players, sophomores Janelle Cordia, Ashley Hamblin, Mo Redmond and Kat Tarr and redshirt-freshman Meghan Pfeiffer, saw action with league runner-up River Cities FC of St. Louis. Two other Tigers, senior Aria Hudetz and junior Maddie Senkosky, spent their time with the Denver Diamonds.
The time playing alongside and against the nation's top players will bring those players to a whole new level and raise Mizzou's level in the process.
Although less experienced, the freshman class should prove no less talented. Soccer Buzz ranked Missouri's incoming class as the 44th best in the nation and fifth in the Central Region out of 68 teams. All the newcomers are expected to contribute immediately and should prove to be impact players for the Tigers this season
"This is a talented group of freshman who can play a lot of positions," said Blitz. "We brought in a bunch of athletic and attack-minded players, which was important because we graduated both of our forwards."
Goalkeepers
The loss of Laura Buerhig, a two-year starter and Big 12 conference Defensive Player of the Week in 2005, to a back injury in the off-season hurts the Tigers depth in goal but sophomore Mallory Forst is poised to take control of the starting job.
Despite limited playing time in her freshman fall campaign, Forst gained a multitude of experience for Missouri in the spring season. She played every minute of all six games in goal for the Tigers and posted a 1.50 goals-against average. Her performance in the second half of the game against the Canadian National Team where Forst held the Canadians scoreless for 45 minutes is a sign of good things to come for the Tigers.
"Mallory gained valuable experience in the spring against squads like Marquette and the full Canadian National Team," said Blitz. "She had tremendous success in those games, which should carry over to the fall."
Laura Frye, a shot putter on Mizzou's track and field team, joins the Tigers as a sophomore newcomer from Ada, Okla., to provide a solid backup to Forst in goal. Frye was an all-state honorable mention goalie at Ada H.S. and returns to the soccer pitch to add much needed depth for the Tigers.
Defenders
A quintet of returnees will provide Blitz with experience on defense, led by seniors Lauren Grice and Meggie Malm, who will help anchor the back line and help initiate the attack from their outside back position.
Junior Senkosky and sophomore Tarr bring a stable presence to the back as possible central backs. The return of sophomore Lindsay McCoy, who suffered a season-ending knee injury as a freshman, will add even more experience and tenacity to the defense. She is fully recovered from the injury and had an excellent summer playing with her club team to get ready for the 2006 season.
Newcomer Crystal Wagner will make an immediate impact on the back line for Missouri as a versatile defender from Houston, Texas. The Soccer Buzz top-100 recruit brings amazing speed and a nose for igniting the attack into her freshman campaign.
In addition to Grice, Senkosky, Tarr, McCoy and Wagner, Missouri has a number of versatile players who can see action in the back, including sophomores Cordia and Hamblin.
Midfielders
The return of seniors Elyse Nikonchuk and Aria Hudetz will lead a deep and experienced midfield unit for Blitz and the rest of coaching staff. Nikonchuk, a two-time All-Big 12 second team performer, is one of the conference's best in the air and adds a steadying presence for the Tigers. On the wing, Hudetz will look to build upon her 16 points (on six goals and four assists) as a junior.
The Tigers also return sophomores Redmond and Cordia and redshirt-freshman Pfeiffer. Redmond was a physical presence as a freshman while starting every game and adding offense with four goals and one assist. Pfeiffer will provide attacking prowess while Cordia will be a factor on both the offensive and defensive sides of the field.
Newcomer Bianca Pritchett, who hails from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., should see immediate time in the midfield as a Tiger. She provides a scoring touch and height in the midfield to create a menacing heading duo with Nikonchuk.
Fellow freshman Breanna Thornton from Lake View Terrace, Calif., will use her dangerous speed to get behind defenders and create scoring opportunities for Mizzou.
As with the back line, many other Tigers will float in and out of the midfield to provide depth to the game's most taxing position.
Forwards
Gone is the scoring tandem of Amber Swinehart and Jennifer Nobis, who combined for 56 points as seniors in 2005. Blitz, who describes his front players more as "attackers" than forwards, will look to a number of versatile athletes to put the ball in the net.
Hamblin emerged as one of Mizzou's best playmakers in her freshman campaign and should build upon her two goals and six points a year ago. With an attacking mentality, Hamblin played most of the spring up front and did not disappoint with one goal and three assists.
After a breakout spring up front where she posted five points in two games at forward, Malm could make the transition from the back to the attack. Another newcomer to the front is Pfeiffer, who is fully recovered from a knee injury suffered in last year's pre-season. With a three-point spring season, Pfeiffer will add a nice scoring touch to the Mizzou attack.
Moving to forward after a season at midfield, junior Anne Baxter will provide depth and experience at the position.
A number of freshmen will also boost the scoring output for the Tigers. Kristin Andrighetto, who comes to Missouri from Pleasant Hill, Calif., is a Soccer Buzz top-150 recruit who posted 205 career points in her high school career.
Michelle Collins from Naperville, Ill., helped her high school squad to a No. 1 national ranking by Student Sports Soccer in 2005. She will bring added speed and strength to the front for Mizzou.
Schedule
The 2006 schedule boasts seven opponents who earned NCAA Tournament berths in 2005. At the beginning of the season, Missouri will play in three tournaments, including the program's Tiger Invitational in the opening weekend. Mizzou will then face Big Ten foes Northwestern and Minnesota in the Big 12 / Big Ten Challenge and will take part in the Wisconsin Invitational against Wisconsin and UW-Milwaukee.
The early non-conference games, including five contests against Big Ten Conference foes, should prepare the Tigers well for another year of top Big 12 competition. Contests with perennial conference powers Texas A&M, Nebraska, Texas and Colorado highlight the Big 12 slate as Missouri vies for their 10th conference tournament appearance in 11 years.
As Blitz takes the program into its next phase, the 2006 squad should prove to be an important start. The versatility of this year's squad, from players who can play multiple positions to the numerous formations the team can play, provides the Tigers with endless possibilities for this season and trouble for opponents.