Oct. 4, 2006
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COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Tigers hit the road this weekend in search of their first Big 12 Conference win and in hope of halting their two-game losing streak. Missouri starts the weekend with a 7 p.m. matchup against the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman, Okla., on Friday, Oct. 6 at the OU Soccer Complex. Mizzou then travels the short trip to Stillwater, Okla., to face the No. 13 Oklahoma State Cowgirls at 1 p.m. at the Cowgirls Soccer Complex.
Last time out
Missouri suffered two tough losses to Texas foes over the weekend. On Friday, Sept. 29, the Tigers fell behind Texas Tech 1-0 in the 18th minute but evened the score five minutes later when redshirt freshman Meghan Pfeiffer headed in a free kick off the foot of senior Elyse Nikonchuk. The Red Raiders eventually tallied two second half goals to go on to a 3-1 victory.
Two days later, Mizzou lost to Baylor 3-0 to break a five-game winning streak against the Bears. Baylor got on the board in the seventh minute on a rebound opportunity and scored again in the 33rd minute on another uncleared rebound. A Bear goal off a throw-in with a minute and a half remaining in the first half put the Tigers down 3-0 heading into the break.
Sophomore goalkeeper Mallory Forst kept Baylor to three goals when she stopped a Bear penalty kick in the 63rd minute. Forst also saved the ensuing shot and sophomore Lindsay McCoy raced in to the goal line to save the Bear's third consecutive shot.
Despite a number of opportunities in the final 45 minutes, Mizzou could not manage to find the back of the net and suffered its third shutout of the season.
Baylor ends streak
Baylor's 3-0 win over Missouri on Sunday, Oct. 1 marked the first time since 2000 that the Bears defeated the Tigers. Mizzou had reeled off five-straight wins since the 2001 season after falling to Baylor twice in 2000. Missouri's last loss to Baylor came in the first round of the 2000 Big 12 Tournament when the Bears pulled out a 3-2 overtime victory.
Texas tackles Tigers
Missouri's losses to Texas Tech and Baylor over the weekend mark only the third time in program history the Tigers fell to both those Texas schools in the same season. The last time both Baylor and Texas Tech defeated Missouri in the same season was 1997.
PKs are OK
Entering this weekend's games, the Tigers are a perfect 3-3 on penatly kick attempts while Missouri's opponents are 0-1. Sophomore Ashley Hamblin scored Mizzou's first goal of the season on a penalty kick against Iowa, redshirt freshman Meghan Pfeiffer converted a PK against Northwestern State and sophomore Mo Redmond scored on a penalty kick to beat Illinois State in overtime.
In Sunday's loss to Baylor, sophomore goalkeeper Mallory Forst stopped the first penalty kick attempt against her in the 63rd minute of play.
Offense by committee
Before the season started, no one was sure who would carry the offensive load. Now 10 games into 2006, the answer is simple: everyone. Eight different Tigers have scored so far and six players have at least three goals. The statistic is especially important becuase Ashley Hamblin, the Tigers' leading scorer will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury. Last season, four Tigers scored at least three goals all year.
Let's get it started
In Mizzou's 12 games this year, the Tigers are a perfect 7-0 when the squad scores first. Missouri tallied wins over Iowa, Illinois, Northwestern, Minnesota, Northwestern State and Loyola-Chicago when the team found the back of the net first. Mizzou's only come from behind win so far was a 3-2 overtime victory against Illinois State.
Second half's the charm
Opponents have held Mizzou scoreless in the second half four times this season but all those games had similar results -- Tiger losses. Missouri could not convert in its scoring chances in the final 45 minutes against UW-Milwaukee, Nebraska, Texas Tech or Baylor as the squad lost all four games.
Overtime lucky once again
The match with Illinois State on Sept. 24 was Missouri's first overtime game this season and the first overtime win for a Tiger squad since a 2-1 double-overtime victory over Oklahoma exactly two years prior. Mizzou played four overtimes games in 2005 with a 0-1-3 record.
Quick goal
Sophomore Janelle Cordia's goal 44 seconds into Mizzou's 3-0 win over Northwestern State on Sept. 8 was the fastest goal scored in Missouri history. The previous record was 1:17, which former Tigers Amber Swinehart and Sarah Sallee both accomplished. Sallee set the previous record against Illinois on Sept. 12, 1999 while Swinehart repeated the feat against Oklahoma State on Oct. 14, 2002.
Shutout streak halted
The Tigers began the 2006 campaign with consecutive shutouts over Iowa, Illinois, Northwestern, Minnesota and Northwestern State before yielding two goals to Loyola-Chicago on Sunday, Sept. 10. The five consecutive shutouts set a new Tiger record.
Scouting Oklahoma
Oklahoma enters its matchup against Missouri with a 3-8-1 overall record and a 0-4-1 mark in the Big 12. The Sooners are coming off an impressive 3-3 tie against No. 10 Texas on Sunday. The squad posted wins over Michigan State, Stephen F. Austin and Oral Roberts.
Kelly Kady paces the Sooners with four goals and four assists for 12 points. Savannah Scott and Daphne Fitzpatrick have two goals apiece while Fitzpatrick also has an assist.
Jennifer Nichols has played every minute in goal for Oklahoma in 2006. The junior has yielded 20 goals for a 1.64 goals against average and a .740 save percentage.
Series Record: MU leads 5-3-1
Last Meeting: MU 1, OU 1 (2005)
Scouting Oklahoma State
Thanks to a 9-2-1 overall record and 4-1 conference mark, Oklahoma State enters its game with Missouri ranked 13th by the NSCAA. The Cowgirls are also ranked 15th by SoccerTimes.com, 16th by Soccer America and 21st by SoccerBuzz.
So far, the season is highlighted by two wins over teams ranked 11th nationally -- Colorado (2-1) and Texas (1-0). The Cowgirls only two losses came against Loyola Marymount (1-0, 2OT) and No. 13 Texas A&M (3-1).
Yolanda Odenyo, last week's Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, leads the team with four goals and four assists. while Siera Strawser has three goals and six assists and Leah Hope has five goals.
Series Record: MU leads 8-2-1
Last Meeting: MU 3, OSU 0 (2005)
Tigers honored by Big 12
Freshman Kristin Andrighetto was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Tuesday, thanks to her game-winning goal against Wisconsin on Sept. 15. Andrighetto is the second Tiger this season to earn a Big 12 honor, after sophomore Ashley Hamblin was the Offensive Player of the Week on Aug. 29.
Hamblin garners national attention
Ashley Hamblin turned a lot of heads around the county after her three goal, two assist opening weekend against Iowa and No. 13 Illinois. For her effort, Hamblin was named the SoccerTimes.com National Player of the Week and earned spots on the Soccer Buzz Elite and Soccer American National teams of the week. Additionally, the Big 12 chose her as its Offensive Player of the Week.
Wagner named to national team of the week
Not to be outdone, freshman Crystal Wagner was named to the SoccerBuzz Elite Team of the Week last week for her help in Mizzou's shutout victories over Northwestern (4-0) and Minnesota (1-0). Wagner was a part of the Tiger defense that tied and eventually broke the team record for consecutive shutouts (five).
Tigers in the WPSL
Current Tigers Janelle Cordia, Ashley Hamblin, Aria Hudetz, Meghan Pfeiffer, Mo Redmond, Maddie Senkosky and Kat Tar and former Tiger Jennifer Nobis all played in the Women's Premier Soccer League in the summer of 2006.
Cordia, Hamblin, Pfeiffer, Redmond and Nobis played for River Cities FC (St. Louis) while Hudetz and Senkosky played for the Denver Diamonds.
Mark your calendars
The Missouri soccer team will hold its banquet on December 9, 2006. Festivities will start at 6:30 p.m. while the silent auction will begain at 5:45 p.m.