Oct. 10, 2007
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Columbia, Mo. - The fifth-ranked University of Missouri women's soccer team (9-2-0, 3-0-0 Big 12) looks to continue its best conference start ever at home this weekend. Friday (Oct. 12) the Oklahoma Sooners (5-5-2, 1-3-0 Big 12) come into Walton Stadium for a 6:30 p.m. match. Sunday (Sept. 14) the Tigers will host Oklahoma State (8-3-1, 2-2-0 Big 12) at 1 p.m.
Gametracker and All-Access
Both games this weekend can be seen and heard on Mizzou All-Access. Just click on the schedule page at MUTigers.com and find the Mizzou All-Access link. Live stats are also available through Gametracker.
Rankings
The Tigers are ranked as high as fifth in the nation in the latest Soccer America Women's Top 25 poll, up from sixth last week. The Tigers are 10th in the SoccerTimes.com poll, tying their highest ever ranking in that poll. MU is 12th in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas national poll, and second in the Central Region. Mizzou is 13th in the Soccer Buzz National Top 30. The Tigers are third in the Central Region, behind Texas and Texas A&M, respectively. Oklahoma is not mentioned in this week's polls. Oklahoma State is ranked 23rd in the NSCAA/adidas poll and 25th in the SoccerTimes.com poll. They are receiving votes in the Soccer Buzz poll.
Tigers Off to Best Conference Start Ever
After last Friday's 2-0 victory against Texas Tech, Mizzou is 3-0 in the Big 12 for the first time ever. Mizzou earned a 3-2 double overtime victory against then-No. 4 Texas A&M Friday (Sept. 28) in Columbia to start the conference with a win. They then defeated Baylor, 4-2 in Waco (Sept. 30). The Tigers are tied with A&M for first place in the conference. The Aggies are 3-1-0, with their only conference loss coming against the Tigers.
One Away From Eighth 10-win Season
Mizzou's next win would secure a 10-win season, Tiger Head Coach Bryan Blitz's eighth 10 or more-win season of his Mizzou career. Mizzou has earned 10 or more wins in 2006 (10), 2003 (12), 2002 (11), 2001 (13), 2000 (10), 1999 (14) and 1998 (11).
Winning Streak Nears Record
The Tigers' current streak of five wins in a row is only two behind the record of seven, set in the first seven games of the 2006 season.
Conference Winning Streak
Mizzou is on a three game conference winning streak. It is their longest such streak since 2003, when they defeated Iowa State, Colorado and Nebraska. The program record for longest Big 12 winning streak is four, set in 1999, when the Tigers beat Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Iowa State.
Home Sweet Home
With the win over Texas A&M, Mizzou now has tied their all-time home winning streak of five games. The Tigers are a perfect 5-0 this season, and have only trailed for 30:37 of the 469:26 total minutes of play.
Close to Attendance Records?
Through the first five home games, Mizzou's average attendance is 709, which would be the highest attendance per game average for a season in program history if the season ended today. But, it doesn't, which might be good news for those watching the total season attendance leader board. 3,543 fans have seen Mizzou soccer action at home this season. If you allow me to project, the 709 folks-per-game average, multiplied by the four scheduled home games remaining; they would be sitting at 6,379 for the nine-game home season. In 2001, a program record 7,230 fans watched 12 games at Walton Stadium.
They Can Win on the Road, Too
The 2007 Tigers have already tied the program record for road wins in a season, with four. Both the 1999 and 2004 teams won four road games. Mizzou is 4-1-0 on the road this year, with their only loss coming to then-No. 1 Stanford. Mizzou was tied with the Cardinal in that game until the 88th minute, when Stanford scored off of a corner kick. Mizzou's 2-1 loss to then-No. 3 Santa Clara was at the Stanford Invitational, on a neutral pitch.
Second Half Dominance
The Tigers have outscored their opponents, 23-8, after halftime this season. One of those 23 goals was Kristin Andrighetto's game-winner against Texas A&M, in the last minute of the last overtime period. Mizzou has outscored opponents, 12-6, in the first halves of games.
Depth a Key Factor
Every Mizzou player, except for the Tigers' third goalkeeper, Emily Zaler, has contributed to Mizzou's victories. In Mizzou's win over Texas Tech, each healthy position player played at least 25 minutes.
Scoring Goals
The Tigers have scored 35 goals in their first 11 games, a 3.18 goals per game average, which ranks third, nationally, and tops the conference. They have already outscored last season's squad, who scored 33 all season. The 1999 Tigers lead the program with 61 goals scored, and they are also at the top of the goals per game category, with a 2.7 average. At this pace, the 2007 team will score 57 goals (57.27) in the regular season.
_____With the Assist
The Tigers have 33 assists, which is three more than last season's total of 30. The 1998 team dished out 57 assists, and this Mizzou team is on pace to earn 54 through the regular season. Andrighetto leads the team with six assists (.55 per game), which ties her for 28th in the nation.
Tiger Quick Notes
1-Mallory Forst-Saved a career-high 10 shots against Texas Tech. 4 assists on season.
2-Bree Thornton-Tore ACL; out for season. Season: 7 starts in 7 games, 1 assist
3-Meghan Pfeiffer-Started all 11 games at midfielder. 1 assist on the year.
4-Lindsay McCoy-Named to TopDrawer Soccer Team of the Week last week.
5-Kari Adam-First 2 career goals vs. A&M. Conf. Newcomer of the Week (Sept. 24-30)
7-Katya Hessel-2 goals, 2 assists. Played in all 11 games. Second on team with 34 shots.
8-Crystal Wagner-Started all 11 on defense. Earned an assist on Adam goal vs. A&M.
9-Krista Kruse-Missed 3 games due to a nose injury; has 1 goal and 1 assist on season
11-Alysha Bonnick-leads all freshmen in Big 12 in points (21)...tied for 1st in goals (8)
12-Mo Redmond-2 goals and 3 assists on season...all 3 were game-winning assists
13-Janelle Cordia-Played in all 11 games...1 assist from midfield position
14-Michelle Collins-Second on team with 8 goals...also second on team with 5 assists
15-Tasha Dittamore-Started first 5 games, earning a 4-0 record before injury.
16-Kristin Andrighetto-Leads team with 9 goals and 6 assists.
17-Caitlin Linas-Has played in 9 games...played a season-high 48 minutes against TTU
18-Brittany Hopkins-played in 6 games...started last game against TTU
19-Kat Tarr-defender has started all 11 games...fourth on team with 3 goals
20-Ashley Hamblin-played in all 11 games...dished out two assists on the year
22-Kelsey Sokes¬-played in all 11 games...played 42 minutes in win over TTU
23-Emily Zaler-Mizzou's third goalkeeper...has not played all season.
Forst's Great Game
Tiger goalkeeper Mallory Forst saved a career-high 10 shots in Mizzou's 2-0 victory over Texas Tech (Oct. 5). The total included a penalty kick in the second half of the game, which could have brought the Red Raiders to within one. It was her second shutout of the season, and sixth of her career. Her previous career-high save effort was nine in a 4-1 loss to then-No. 14 Texas Oct. 20, 2006.
Forst's Assists
Forst has collected four assists on the season. She earned her first on Collins' goal against Santa Clara. She also helped on Bonnick's second goal against Cal, Hessel's goal against TCU and Adam's goal against Texas A&M.
Andrighetto Taking Charge
Through the first 11 games, Tiger sophomore forward Kristin Andrighetto leads the team with nine goals, six assists and 24 points. She is tied for 11th place nationally with .818 goals per game (Second in the Big 12). She is ninth nationally in points per game, with 2.18 (Also second in the conference). For her brief two and a half year career, she already has 15 goals and seven assists...37 points. She is currently ninth on Mizzou's all-time career goals scored list. Kristen Heil, who played with the Tigers from 2001-2003, is in eighth with 17. Andrighetto is seven points away from Amy Timmerman's 44 for 10th on the career points list.
Bonnick and Collins Right There
Tiger sophomore Michelle Collins and freshman Alysha Bonnick each scored their eighth goal of the season last Friday (Oct. 5) in a 2-0 Mizzou win over Texas Tech. Bonnick also has five assists, giving her a total of 21 points. Collins has three assists, and 19 points.
Bonnick's Freshmen Records
Bonnick's eight goals is the most by a Tiger freshman since Jennifer Nobis scored eight in 2002. Bonnick is one away from Melissa Peabody's total of nine scored in her freshman season (2001). Former Tiger Erin Grimsley owns the all-time record for goals scored by a freshman. She scored 14 in 1998.
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 the game-winner 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.
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 (Oct. 5) to help the Tigers earn their third conference win. Tiger goalkeeper Tasha Dittamore missed a few games earlier in the season after colliding with a Stanford player in Mizzou's contest against the Cardinal (Sept. 14). She is back in practice, and she has played a few minutes in the field and behind the net. Sophomore midfielder Bree Thornton, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee against California (Sept. 21) is out for the rest of the season.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS:
Sooners Starting Slow
The 5-5-2 Oklahoma Sooners are 1-3-0 in the Big 12, after splitting two games last weekend. Last Thursday (Oct. 4) the Sooners defeated Baylor, 3-1, in Norman, Okla., for their first conference win of the year. Sunday (Oct. 7) OU fell to then-No. 6 Texas A&M, 1-0. Earlier this season, the Sooners lost to Nebraska, 1-0, and Iowa State, 2-0, on the road.
Friday's Match Up: Tiger Offense Against Sooner D
Mizzou's offense has scored 35 goals on the year, which ties them for third, nationally. Their three forward and four midfield formation has worked well, with three Mizzou forwards; Andrighetto, Collins and Bonnick, scoring at will this season. OU has only given up 11 goals all year, less than one goal per game, which ranks sixth in the Big 12. Defenders Katie Corbitt, Traci Dickenson, Ashley Bolden and Helen Ajufo started OU's last game against Texas A&M.
OU's `O' vs. MU's `D'
The Sooners have not scored as many goals as Mizzou has, but then again, only two schools in the nation have. The Sooners have 19 goals in their first 12 games, which ranks them sixth in the Big 12. Freshman Whitney Palmer has six on the year, senior Tenesha Duncan has scored four, Audri Habibi and Kate Leyendecker have two each. Five players have one each to round out their scoring. Tiger defenders Lindsay McCoy, Kat Tarr and Crystal Wagner have started every game for Mizzou, and have held conference opponents to four goals in three games. Overall, the Tigers have given up 14 goals in 11 games, which ranks seventh in the conference and equals out to 1.27 goals per game, better than last season's 1.71 goals against average.
Goalkeepers
Forst has started the last six Tiger games, recording a 5-1 record in those starts. She has two shutouts on the season, with a .737 save percentage, better than her .684 figure last season. She has recorded 28 saves on the year, including a career-high 10 last Friday (Oct. 5) against Texas Tech. Dittamore started the first five games for Mizzou, earning a 4-0 record, before her injury. She came in goal in the final minutes of Mizzou's win over Baylor (Sept. 30). The Sooners have also had two goalkeepers this season, red shirt freshman Tara MacDonald and Jennifer Nichols. MacDonald has started the last six games in goal for OU, shutting out two teams in the process. She is 2-3-1 in her six games, with an impressive .891 save percentage. She has given up five goals in seven games, a .75 goals against average that ranks third in the conference. She leads the conference with 5.86 saves per game, and she is second in save percentage, stopping .891 percent of shots. Nationally, she is 18th with that save percentage. Nichols started the first six games of the season, going 3-2-1 and earning two shutouts herself. Her save percentage is .818 and she gave up six goals in six games.
OK State Slowing
After starting the season 6-1-1, earning a win over then-No. 9 Notre Dame and climbing to as high as 13th in the national rankings, Oklahoma State has started the conference schedule 2-2, losing to Iowa State (Sept. 28) and Texas A&M (Oct. 4) while defeating Nebraska (Sept. 30) and Baylor (Oct. 6). After they defeated Notre Dame, 2-1, in overtime in South Bend, they moved up to 13th in the nation. After losing to Iowa State and defeating Nebraska, they dropped from 13th to 22nd. They are as high as 23rd in the rankings this week.
OSU Offense
Going into their game against Kansas (Oct. 12), Oklahoma State has scored 25 goals on the season, which ranks fifth in the conference. Sasa Jackson leads the Cowgirls with five goals on the season. Three OSU players, Katie Richardson, Kasey Langdon and Adriane Radtke are each tied for second with three goals on the year. Preseason all-conference midfielder Yolanda Oldenyo is tied with three other Cowgirls with two goals.
OSU D
The Cowgirl defense goes into its game against Kansas (Oct. 12) with only nine goals against all season, tying them for second in the conference. They start four defenders, with Allyson Leggett, Bridget Miller, Jessica Jarrell and Niccole Grimaldi starting for OSU.
OSU Goalkeeper
Keeper Erin Stigler has played 12 games for the Cowgirls, saving 31 shots and allowing nine goals. She ranks fifth in the conference with a 0.80 goals against average. She has earned three shutouts on the year.
Up Next
After this weekend, the Tigers will go on the road for two more tough Big 12 matches. Friday (Oct. 19) Mizzou will face No. 1-ranked Texas in Austin, and Sunday (Oct. 21) they will play Colorado in Boulder.
Last Home Weekend
After the big road trip, the Tigers will return to Columbia to prepare for their last regular season home weekend, as they host Iowa State and Nebraska Oct. 26 and Oct. 28, respectively.