Aug. 11, 2010

COLUMBIA, Mo. -The Back-to-Back Big 12 Champion Missouri soccer secured the third place position in the Big 12 Preseason Poll voted on by the league's coaches. The Tigers received 69 points and one first place vote.Texas A&M secured the top spot in the poll tallying 95 points, with eight first place votes.

Missouri, the defending Big 12 regular season champions rank above last year's tournament winner Oklahoma State. The Tigers also face Texas and Texas Tech, among others. Missouri finished 2009 the season with a 13-6-3, 7-1-2 (Big 12) record.

Senior forward Alysha Bonnick also earned Big 12 honors as she was chosen for the Preseason All-Big 12 team. Bonnick finished her junior season with 11 goals and four assists. She currently holds the school record of 12 career game-winning goals with Tiger alum Nikki Thole. Bonnick has 30 career goals and 18 assists.

The Tigers head out on Friday for a preseason match against Illinois. Game time is set for 1 p.m. at Illinois Soccer and track Stadium in Champaign, Ill. Fans are encouraged to check in with the Tigers during the season via mutigers.com or the team's social media sites on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Vimeo.