Sept. 26, 2007
Columbia, Mo. - The 16th-ranked University of Missouri women's soccer team (6-2-0, 0-0-0 Big 12) opens conference play this weekend when they host the fourth-ranked Texas A&M Aggies (6-1-1, 0-0-0 Big 12) Friday at 6:30 p.m. The Tigers then travel to Waco, Texas to face the Baylor University Bears (6-2-1, 0-0-0 Big 12) Sunday at 1 p.m.
Pack the House!
Friday night, Tiger fans are encouraged to 'Pack the House' as the Tigers begin conference play against the Aggies. Tickets are only $1, as Mizzou hopes to break Walton Stadium's attendance record, 1,926, set in 2001.
Friday's Big Game
The 16th-ranked Tigers will host fourth-ranked Texas A&M Friday (Sept. 28) in both teams' Big 12 opener. This A&M team will be the highest-ranked squad to come into Walton Stadium since then-No. 4 A&M came to Columbia and lost to Mizzou, 5-4, in overtime, on Oct. 19, 2003.
Rankings
Mizzou jumped to as high as 16th in the nation in this week's SoccerTimes.com poll. The Tigers jumped four spots from their No. 20 ranking in the same poll last week. Mizzou also moved up in other polls. In the Soccer America Women's Top 25, they jumped up to 19th from 25th. They entered the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas National Rankings at No. 20. In the SoccerBuzz.com National Top 30, they moved up to 21st from 25th. The Tigers are No. 4 in the Central Region according to SoccerBuzz.com, and fifth in the region in the NSCAA/adidas poll. A&M is ranked fourth in the SoccerTimes.com poll and as high as third in the NSCAA/adidas National Rankings. They sit at No. 1 in the Central Region in the NSCAA/adidas poll.
Tiger Notes (National individual rankings as of Sept. 23)
Weekly Awards and Honors
Sophomore Kristin Andrighetto was named to the Soccer America Women's Team of the Week for last week, after scoring two goals and assisting on three. One of those assists came on freshman forward Alysha Bonnick's second game-winning goal of the weekend, a goal that gave the Tigers a 3-0 lead against TCU. Bonnick was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week for her three-goal, and one-assist effort in the two wins. She was also selected to the Soccer Buzz National Elite Team of the Week. The Soccer America Team selection was Mizzou's second this year. Tiger sophomore Michelle Collins was selected to the team the first week of the season for her efforts in Mizzou wins over then-No. 20 Illinois and Western Michigan. The award is Bonnick's first conference honor of her career, and first Soccer Buzz Team selection. The Soccer America Team of the Week selection is Andrighetto's first of her career.
Looking Back on Non-conference Action
The Tigers finished their non-conference schedule with a 6-2-0 record, with their only two losses coming to then-No. 1 Stanford and then-No. 3 Santa Clara at the Stanford Invitational in Northern California (Sept. 14-16).
Earning Some Respect
Mizzou started the season unranked, and finished the non-conference slate ranked 20th in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas National Rankings, and as high as 16th in the SoccerTimes.com poll, thanks to six wins, including two against top-20 teams. Mizzou started the season off right with a 3-1 victory over then-No. 20 Illinois on the first Friday of the season (Aug. 31). The next week, Mizzou entered the SoccerTimes.com poll at No. 23. The Tigers would win their next three games, victories over Western Michigan, Iowa and Eastern Illinois, to start the season 4-0.
Playing Top Teams
Mizzou took their perfect record, and national ranking, to California, to face two of the best teams in the country, then-No. 1 Stanford and then-No. 3 Santa Clara. Friday (Sept. 14) Stanford defeated the 20th-ranked Tigers, 3-2, on their home field. Sunday (Sept. 16) Santa Clara beat Mizzou, 2-1, after MU had taken an early 1-0 lead.
Home Sweet Home
The Tigers returned home after the Stanford trip to finish up their non-conference schedule against then-No. 19 California and TCU. Mizzou played the two games with heavy hearts, after they learned about the death of former Tiger Meggie Malm, who passed away due to injuries she suffered in a car accident in Iowa last Thursday (Sept. 20). MU won both games over the weekend, defeating Cal, 4-0, Friday (Sept. 21) and outscoring TCU, 6-2, Sunday (Sept. 23). Those numbers can be repeated for Mizzou's home and overall record on the season, as the Tigers are a perfect 4-0 at Walton Stadium and 6-2 so far this season overall.
How Are They Doing It?
How has Mizzou earned a 6-2-0 record and No. 16 ranking, you ask? Its pretty simple, they have scored a plentiful amount of goals (26) while allowing only 10 on the year. MU's offense scores an average of 3.25 goals per game, which ranks fourth nationally. Historically, the 26 goals are the most the Tigers have ever scored in their first eight games of a season. The closest team to their mark, the 1999 squad that netted 24 goals in its first eight contests.
Who's Scoring?
Tiger sophomores Andrighetto and Michelle Collins each have seven goals on the season. The calculator says that gives them a 0.875 goals per game average, good for a tie for 13th nationally with many other players. Bonnick is making an impact early in her Mizzou career. She has scored six goals, and is fifth nationally among freshmen with a 2.0 points per game average. Among all NCAA players, she is tied for 22nd with seven others. Staying in the points category, Andrighetto is tied for ninth nationally (2.38 points per game) and Collins is tied for 17th (2.13 points per game). MU is the only team to have three players in the national top-30 in points per game. The rest of the scoring; Forward/Midfielder Katya Hessel has scored two, midfielder Mo Redmond has one and defender Kat Tarr scored on a penalty kick.
Defending the Goal
While Mizzou's goals-against average of 1.25 per game does not rank high nationally, their defensive efforts have not gone un-noticed. The midfielders; Redmond, Hessel, Janelle Cordia, Meghan Pfeiffer, Bree Thornton, Kari Adam, Krista Kruse and Brittany Hopkins have helped the offense keep the ball in the opponents' zone and helped the defense earn three shutouts. The Tigers' starting back three of Tarr, Lindsay McCoy and Crystal Wagner, as well as freshmen Caitlin Linas and Kelsey Stokes, have kept the pressure off of Tiger goalkeepers Tasha Dittamore and Mallory Forst. On the season, Dittamore has a 4-0 record with two shutouts, while Forst is 2-2, with one.
A Knack for Game-winners
Although Bonnick does not have the team lead in the goals category, she has notched four game-winning goals on the season. She scored her last two last weekend, as she kicked in the first goal of Mizzou's 4-0 win over the Cal Bears (Sept. 21), and the third goal in Mizzou's 5-2 win over TCU (Sept. 23). She is the first Tiger freshman to score four game-winning goals over the course of the whole season since Melissa Peabody scored four in 2001.
Tigers in the Big 12 Statistical Categories
Andrighetto's 19 points tops the league...Collins' 17 is tied for third...Collins and Andrighetto are tied for second in the conference with seven goals...Andrighetto has five assists, good for second in the conference...Bonnick is tied for the lead in the game-winning goals category, with four.
As a Team
The Tigers are second in shots (166)...first in points (76)...first in goals (26)...and first in assists (24) in the conference.
Injury Bug
Several Tigers were forced to sit out games this season due to injuries. Freshman Krista Kruse missed both games of the Stanford Invitational due to a broken nose, but she was back last Friday (Sept. 21) to help the Tigers win their last two non-conference games. Tiger goalkeeper Tasha Dittamore has missed the last three games after colliding with a Stanford player in Mizzou's contest against the Cardinal (Sept. 14). She was back in practice Wednesday morning, and she is ready to go this weekend. The same cannot be said for sophomore midfielder Bree Thornton, who tore the anterior crucial ligament (ACL) in her left knee against California last Friday (Sept. 21). Thornton will miss the remainder of the season.
Friday's Opponent: Texas A&M
Preseason Honors
The Aggies were chosen to win the Big 12 Conference championship for the fourth consecutive year. A&M senior forward Ashlee Pistorius was one of four Aggies to be selected to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team, as the team tied Texas with the most selections. Besides Pistorius, the league's coaches also selected goalkeeper Kristin Arnold, defender Paige Carmichael and midfielder Amy Berend to the team.
Texas A&M's Non-conference Season The third-ranked Texas A&M Aggies went 6-1-1 in their non-conference matches, earning a 2-1 win over then-No. 14 West Virginia (Sept. 14) and a draw against then-No. 15 Penn State (Sept. 16). They have also beaten un-ranked Dartmouth, the College of Charleston, Duke, Tulsa and Rice. Their only loss came to then-No. 3 North Carolina in the Carolina Nike Classic. UNC defeated the Aggies, 2-1, Friday (Sept. 7).
A&M's Offense vs Mizzou's Defense
The Texas A&M offense starts with Pistorius, who leads A&M and the Big 12 with eight goals scored on the season. Her one goal per game average ties her for ninth, nationally. Pistorius has 18 points on the season, which figures out to 2.25 per game...good for third in the conference. She was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week Tuesday (Sept. 25) after she scored four goals in Texas A&M's wins over Tulsa (Sept. 21) and Rice (Sept. 23). But the offense, which has scored 21 goals this season (tied for fourth in conference), is also getting help from its other players. Melissa Garey has three goals, as well as two assists, Laura Grace Robinson and Nicole Ketchum have two goals each. Amber Gnatzig, Whitney Hooper, Allison Martino, Carmichael, Cydne Currie and Berend, each have one goal on the season. Midfielder/Forward Rachel Shipley leads the team with three assists.
In their last game, the Aggies started only two forwards, Garey and Pistorius, in front of four midfielders. The Tiger defense will counter with three defenders, likely McCoy, Tarr and Wagner. As previously mentioned, Mizzou has only given up 10 goals, (1.25 per game) but A&M will come into the game tied for 24th nationally with 2.63 goals scored per game. Mizzou will also start four midfielders. In the Tigers' last game, each midfielder, with the exception of Thornton, who was injured, played significant minutes.
MU's High Scoring Offense Against the Aggie D
Mizzou's three top scorers, Andrighetto, Collins and Bonnick, have scored a combined 20 goals on the season, which averages out to 2.5 goals per game. That average would tie Old Dominion, North Carolina and Penn for 30th, nationally. That means the trio averages more goals per game than 281 NCAA Division I teams. The Tigers will start three forwards, and four midfielders, against A&M's four defenders and four midfielders.
Texas A&M has only given up four goals on the year, which ranks second in the conference behind Oklahoma State. Their .486 goals against average is good for a tie at 24th, nationally, with Pacific. Carmichael anchors the defense, which has not given up a goal in 204:10, a span of little more than two games.
Goalkeepers
A&M's keeper, Arnold, has only given up four goals on the year. Her goals-against average of 0.533 ranks second in the Big 12 and 34th nationally. She has made 23 saves over the first eight games of the season, and with the four goals-against, she has a 0.852 save percentage, which ranks fourth in the league. Mizzou has used Dittamore and Mallory Forst in goal this season. Dittamore started the season for the Tigers and earned a 4-0 record while only allowing three goals. She was injured in Mizzou's game against Stanford (Sept. 14) and Forst stepped in. Forst has given up eight goals in five games, and she has a 2-2 record. She has three impressive assists on the season, with two coming directly from a free kick she has taken.
Series and Last Year
The Aggies own a 9-3 record against Mizzou, after taking last year's contest in College Station, 4-2. The last time Mizzou beat Texas A&M was Oct. 15, 2004, when the Tigers went to College Station and defeated then-No. 6 A&M, 2-1.
Off To Waco...
After the Tigers play their game Friday, they will fly to Texas to take on the Baylor Bears, who are 6-2-1 on the year after defeating Delaware, 2-1, last Sunday (Sept. 23) The Bears are a perfect, 4-0, at home this season, and they will try to keep their perfect home record intact when they host Kansas Friday (Sept. 28) in both schools' Big 12 openers. Sunday, the Bears will face perhaps their toughest test of the season so far, as Mizzou will be Baylor's first ranked opponent.
Bears Offense
Baylor's offense has been just about as powerful as Mizzou's so far this season. The Bears sit right behind MU in the conference's goals scored category, as Mizzou leads the league with 26, and going into their game against Kansas, Baylor has 24. It must be noted that the Bears have played one more game than Mizzou. BU's top points scorer, Meagan Sherrell, has scored five goals and added seven assists on the season. The Bears started three forwards against Delaware; Sherrell, Jessica Hutton and Katie White. Hutton has four goals and two assists on the season, while White has notched three assists. Forward/midfielder Beckah Brady has scored four goals in nine games, coming off the bench. Midfielder Lotto Smith has notched four goals in her nine starts.
Baylor Defense
The BU defense has given up 11 goals in nine games, just one more than Mizzou's total in eight games. Baylor sits at 10th in the league in that category. The Bears started four defenders in their win against Delaware (Sept. 23). Rose Zapada, Lauren Weathers, Megan Humke and Nicky Smith started on the Baylor back line, which has three shutouts on the year. BU will likely start three midfielders.
Baylor's Keeper
Bear goalkeeper Ashley Noah has started all nine games for BU, earning six wins, one loss and one draw. SHe has 37 saves on the year, while allowing 10 goals. Her saves per game average is 4.11, which is good for seventh in the conference.
Series
The Tigers lead the all-time series against the Bears, 7-6. Before last year's Baylor win in Columbia, Mizzou had won the last five contests.
After the Weekend
Conference play continues next Friday (Oct. 5) when the Tigers travel to Lubbock, Texas to take on Texas Tech. Mizzou's next home weekend is Oct. 12-14, when the Tigers host Oklahoma and No. 13 Oklahoma State, Friday and Sunday, respectively.