Soccer Opens Big 12 Championship Against Texas
11/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Nov. 4, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The No. 15 University of Missouri soccer team (13-5-0, 7-3-0), the No. 3 seed in the 2008 Big 12 Championship, face off against six-seed and No. 9 Texas (12-2-4, 5-2-3) on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 1:30 p.m. at Blossom Soccer Stadium in San Antonio, Texas.
The game will be streamed live on Big12Sports.com
Last Time Out
The Tigers closed out the regular season on Halloween with an impressive 6-0 victory over Border Showdown foe Kansas. The win marked the largest margin of victory for Mizzou in Big 12 play and set new program records in regular season (13) and conference (seven) wins.
Senior Mo Redmond and sophomore Alysha Bonnick both recorded five points against the Jayhawks, as each posted two goals and an assist, while junior Kristin Andrighetto added two assists. Bonnick's two goals, the game-winner in the ninth minute and the last goal in the 55th minute, were her team-leading eighth and ninth of the season. Redmond's two tallies marked her second and third goals of the year while junior Michelle Collins scored her sixth and freshman Mallory Stipetich added her third of the season. Additionally, senior Kat Tarr earned her first point of 2008 with an assist on Collins' goal in the 33rd minute.
Goalkeepers Tasha Dittamore and Mallory Forst combined to post Mizzou's record 10th shutout of the year and seventh in Big 12 play.
2008 Big 12 Championship
The Big 12 Championship will be held at Blossom Soccer Stadium in San Antonio for the 12th consecutive year. No. 8 Oklahoma State earned the No. 1 seed for the Championship, and they will play eighth-seeded Texas Tech on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. The winner of that game will face the winner of four-seed Colorado and five-seed Nebraska, who kick off at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday. In the other half of the bracket, Texas A&M earned the two-seed and will face seven-seed Kansas at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. The winner of that game will face the winner of the Missouri-Texas contest at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7. The winners of the semifinal games will meet Sunday, Nov. 9 at Noon to battle for the Big 12 Championship.
Mizzou in the Big 12 Championship
With their third-place Big 12 regular season finish, Missouri qualified for the Big 12 Championship for the 11th time in 13 years. This year matches the Tigers' highest seed in the tournament, matching the 1999 squad's three-seed when the team advancded to the championship game. Missouri has advanced to the championship game three times (1998, 1999 and 2003) and won the opening quarterfinal contest six of the 10 years it has qualified.
Year Finish Seed Record Final Result
1996 T-5th 5 1-1 Lost to No. 1 Nebraska, 2-1, in Semifinal
1998 T-5th 5 2-1 Lost to No. 2 Nebraska, 4-0, in Championship
1999 T-3rd 3 2-1 Lost to No. 1 Nebraska, 2-1, in Championship
2000 5th 5 0-1 Lost to No. 4 Baylor, 4-3 (OT), in Quarterfinal
2001 5th 5 1-1 Lost to No. 1 Texas, 1-0 (4OT), in Semifinal
2002 4th 4 0-1 Lost to No. 5 Colorado, 1-0, in Quarterfinal
2003 8th 8 2-1 Lost to No. 7 Oklahoma State, 3-2 (2OT), in Championship
2004 6th 6 0-1 Lost to No. 3 Colorado, 2-1 (OT), in Quarterfinal
2005 8th 8 0-1 Lost to No. 1 Texas A&M, 3-1, in Quarterfinal
2007 4th 4 1-1 Lost to No. 1 Texas A&M, 4-1, in Semifinal
Four Tigers Earn Big 12 Postseason Honors
Four members of the No. 15 University of Missouri women's soccer team received Big 12 Conference postseason honors, the league announced Monday. Junior forward Kristin Andrighetto and sophomore striker Alysha Bonnick were each named to the All-Big 12 first team, junior midfielder Meghan Pfeiffer earned an All-Big 12 second team selection and freshman forward Kendra Collins was chosen to the Big 12 All-Newcomer team.
Andrighetto and Bonnick garnered first team awards on the heels of strong seasons within Big 12 Conference play. Within conference play, the tandem both led the Big 12 in points (15), points per game (1.50), goals (six), goals per game (0.60) and game-winning goals (2). Andrighetto was named to the first team award for the second straight season while Bonnick becomes just the third player in Missouri history named to the first team, joining Andrighetto and former Tiger Nikki Thole.
Pfeiffer also repeats as an All-Big 12 second team honoree for her role at defensive midfield. The redshirt junior has recorded two goals and three assists in addition to playing a big part in the Tigers' school record 10 shutouts, seven of which came against conference opponents, a Big 12 best this season.
Breaking into the starting lineup in the absence of Bonnick and older sister Michelle Collins, Kendra Collins has appeared in every game with eight starts. The Naperville, Ill., native earned the first point of her collegiate career with an assist against Eastern Washington.
Nine Tigers Named to Academic All-Big 12 Teams
Showing they excel in the classroom as well as on the field, nine members of the Missouri women's soccer team received Academic All-Big 12 Conference honors, as announced by the league office Tuesday.
Four Tigers, seniors Janelle Cordia and Lindsay McCoy, junior Bree Thornton and sophomore Kelsey Stokes each earned Academic All-Big 12 first team honors. Additionally, seniors Mallory Forst and Mo Redmond were accompanied by juniors Michelle Collins and Crystal Wagner and sophomore Alysha Bonnick on the second team.
Cordia and McCoy are now three-time first team members while Redmond is making her third appearance as an honoree for the second team. Forst and Wagner are being honored as second team selections for the second consecutive year.
2008 a Record Breaking Season
The Tigers set a number of program records with their 13-5-0 mark during the regular season. The Tigers' 13 wins are the most ever in the regular season, besting the previous record of 12 set in 2007, 2001 and 1999, and stands just one game shy of tying the overall wins record of 14, set in 1999. The seven conference wins is also a new mark, breaking the old record of six achieved in 2007 and 1999. Additionally, Mizzou's 21 points in conference play (three for a win, one for a tie) broke the old mark of 19 set in 1999.
Redmond Earns Weekly Honors
Senior Mo Redmond earned a pair of weekly awards after a five-point barrage against Kansas on Oct. 31. The midfielder was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week as well as to the Soccer Buzz Elite National Team of the Week.
Against the Jayhawks in the regular season finale, Redmond recorded two goals within a minute span and assisted on Bonnick's game-winning goal for a single game career high five points. It is the second Big 12 player of the week honor of Redmond's career, after earning Newcomer of the Week in 2005 as a freshman, and fourth for a Missouri player this season.
Tigers in the Polls
Following last weekend's result, Missouri stayed steady at No. 18 in the Soccer Times national rankings this week. For the third straight week, the Tigers are ranked in all five national polls, coming in at No. 21 in Soccer America, No. 23 in Soccer Buzz, No. 15 in Top Drawer Soccer, and No. 20 in the NSCAA/adidas coaches' poll.
Missouri currently sits in fourth in the NSCAA/adidas Central Region Rankings this week, behind Big 12 foes Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Colorado.
Missouri's five losses this season have come against strong competition, falling to current top 25 opponents Texas, California and Oklahoma State, as well as suffering overtime losses to then-ranked Illinois and at Nebraska.
Friday Night Lights
With the 6-0 win over Kansas last Friday, the Tigers improved to 9-0-0 this season in Friday competition. In nine Friday games this season, Missouri has now outscored opponents 26-2.
RPI Rankings
The NCAA revealed the first Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) power rankings of the 2008 season on Oct. 7, with the Tigers landing at No. 22 on the list. The RPI weights a team's strength of schedule in relation to their performance and will be updated throughout the remainder of the season. The top 25 ranking rewards Missouri's challenging non-conference schedule in which the Tigers faced quality teams from the Big Ten, SEC, and Pac Ten conferences. Mizzou currently sits in 28th in the Nov. 3 RPI.
The RPI rankings are also used in the selection process for the NCAA Tournament. Last year, Missouri received at an-large bid and the right to host as the Tigers reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling in double overtime to eventual national champions USC.
Tigers on National Television
ESPNU selected the Tigers for two of their four regular season NCAA women's soccer broadcasts this season. Mizzou's 3-0 upset win at No. 6 Texas A&M on Oct. 19th aired live on the national network, and last Sunday's matchup with No. 10 Texas was shown on a tape delay at 4:30 p.m. Veteran play-by-play announcer Beth Mowins and US Women's National Team defender Cat Whitehill called the action for both contests.
All Out Attack
After a slow first few games to the season, the Missouri offense has been producing plenty of goals as of late -- 40 in its last 15 games - and the onslaught has been via a collective effort. The Tigers' 42 goals this season have come from 14 different players. A total of 17 players have tallied at least a point, the most players to accomplish the feat in program history. Andrighetto and sophomore striker Alysha Bonnick lead the team with seven goals and 16 points, followed by Michelle Collins with five goals and four assists for 14 points.
Missouri has only been shutout once this season and is the only Big 12 team not to have been shutout in conference play this season. Finally, the Tigers have scored multiple goals in 13 of their last 14 games.
Starting Strong as of Late
After not scoring a goal in the first half in the team's first five games this season, Missouri struck in the opening half in each of its next 11. After a one game drop against Texas on Oct. 26, the Tigers were back at it with three goals in the opening 45 minutes against Kansas on Oct. 31.
On the defensive end, the Tigers kept another streak intact, not allowing a first-half goal for nine straight games. All told, Missouri has outscored conference opponents 14-1 in the opening forty-five minutes. The early leads have proven to be a successful formula for the Tigers who are 13-3-0 when scoring first and 9-1-0 when leading at the half.
Tigers Among League Leaders
Within conference play, Missouri was first in shots (220), second in goals (24) and points (66), tied for third in assists (18), fourth in goals allowed (eight) and goals against average (0.78). The team led the conference in overall shutouts (10) and conference shutouts (seven), earning clean sheets in seven of their 10 conference matches. Within Big 12 play, three Tiger players also were among the league leaders. Andrighetto and Bonnick were tied for first in goals (six), goals per game (0.60), points (15), points per game (1.50) and game-winning goals (two). Junior forward Michelle Collins tied for first in assists per game (0.50), tied for second in assists (four), and fifth in points per game (1.25). Finally, Dittamore is tied for first among the Big 12 in all competition with eight shutouts and a 0.44 shutouts per game average, and is second within Big 12 play with five shutouts and a 0.50 shutout per game average.
Tigers Climbing the Charts
Andrighetto is making her mark felt on the Missouri career record books this season. The junior has already moved up the career charts to third in game-winning goals (nine), fourth on the shots (251) and shots on goal (110) and sixth in points (68) and goals (27). Additionally, Bonnick and Michelle Collins have worked their way into the record books this season. Bonnick is tied for third in game-winning goals (nine) and stands seventh in points (53) and goals (20). Collins is now eighth in career points (51) and tied for eighth in goals (19). After playing in the game against Kansas on Oct. 31, Janelle Cordia is tied for eighth in career games played at 79.
On the other end of the field, Dittamore's victory over Kansas last Friday was her 13th of the season, good enough to pass former Tiger Jackie Adamec for the Mizzou single-season record. Already this season, Dittamore has moved into third place on the Missouri career victories list with 19.
Tigers Take Advantage of Depth
Head Coach Bryan Blitz has been making the most of his roster in Missouri's 2008 campaign. All 19 field players used thus far have seen over 350 minutes of action and all have been selected to start as least one game. Junior goalkeeper Tasha Dittamore leads the team with 1,560 minutes, while Missouri's veteran backline of senior Janelle Cordia, senior Kat Tarr, and junior Crystal Wagner have all logged over 1,490 minutes, the most of any field players. Of the incoming class, top-75 recruit Kelsey Blincow has become the most consistent starter earning 783 minutes, while Mallory Stipetich has come off the bench to earn seven points for the Tigers this season.
Capitalizing on Corner Kicks
With nine corners against the Jayhawks on Friday, the Tigers upped their single-season record for corner kicks to 129. Missouri is averaging over seven per game and leads the Big 12 in overall corners (129) and corners in conference play (75). The set pieces have proven to be a pivotal part of the Tigers' attack, with five goals scored off of corner kicks so far this season.
Scouting Texas
No. 9 Texas enters the Big 12 Championship with a 12-2-4 overall record and a 5-2-3 mark in conference play. The Longhorns posted a 0-0 tie against Baylor to close out the regular season on Oct. 31 to fall to six in the regular season standings.
Less than two weeks ago Texas spoiled Mizzou's bid for the Big 12 regular season title with a 2-1 victory over the Tigers on Oct. 26. Missouri is 2-12-1 all-time against Texas.
The Tigers have faced the Longhorns twice in the Big 12 Championship and are 1-1 in those games. In 1998, Mizzou picked up a 3-1 in the the first round (also Missouri's last victory over Texas) and in 2001, the Tigers fell to the Longhorns in overtime, 1-0, in the semifinals.
Mizzou Soccer Online
In addition to the official news, photos, statistics and more that are available on the newly designed mutigers.com, the Missouri soccer program is complementing the team's coverage with several supplementary sites for fans, alumni, and recruits. The team has continued to update ThisIsMizzouSoccer.com since its debut this spring, which features a coach's blog, photos and video of the team in action, team information and much more. Additionally, Missouri was the first school to launch its customized team page on the recently unveiled GoCollegeSoccer.com. Finally, the team launched a MizzouSoccer Twitter account last week to provide instant updates and information on the team, as well as a MizzouSoccer YouTube channel to post match footage. The Tigers are excited to continue highlighting their program in the national spotlight via all of these resources and to provide up close and timely coverage of the team for all those who follow Mizzou soccer.
