Sept. 14, 2010
Game 7: Missouri (1-3-2) vs. Loyola Md. (2-4-1)
Friday, September 17; 6:30 p.m.
Walton Stadium; Columbia, Mo.
Game 8: Missouri (1-3-2) vs. Milwaukee (2-3-2)
Sunday, September 19; 1 p.m.
Walton Stadium; Columbia, Mo.
Watch: Mizzou All-Access
Live Stats: GameTracker on mutigers.com
COLUMBIA, MO. -Missouri's home series will continue with this weekend's matches against Loyola Maryland on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Sunday at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 17 marks Truman Club Day, where members of the Truman Club will receive free admission to Walton Stadium and parents will receive discounted admission of $2. Mizzou soccer will recognize Truman Club members on Sunday Sept. 19 also, in addition to youth clubs in the area. Admission will be free for youth who come wearing their team jersey and parents will receive $2 admission. There will also be a Sunday Spirit Special, offering $2 admission to religious group members. Keep your eyes peeled for Coach Blitz during Saturday's home football game against San Diego State, as he will be appearing on the scoreboard with KOMU's Chris Gervino. Fans who bring their ticket stub from the SDSU football game will receive $1 admission to Sunday's soccer game against Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
LAST TIME OUT
Missouri hosted Arkansas last weekend, coming off of a long stretch of road games. The Tigers upped their record to 1-3-2 on the season, blanking the Razorbacks 4-0. Senior co-captain Kari Adam scored two goals for the Tigers, and senior transfer Paula Pritzen earned her first start in goal for Missouri. Pritzen finished the game with a win and three saves under her belt. Missouri outshot Arkansas 15-19 and had six corner kicks to Arkansas' three. The game-winning goal was scored by Krista Kruse, her second of the season.
GOOGLING THE GREYHOUNDS
The Greyhounds are 2-4-1 on the season so far, suffering losses to Creighton, Nebraska and William & Mary, among others. Loyola hosted both George Washington and La Salle at Ridley Athletic Complex last weekend, with both games turning into overtime matches. Loyola's Alex Reed scored her first career goal to bring the Greyhounds a 1-0 victory over George Washington. The victory marks sophomore goalkeeper Danielle Ippolito's first career shutout. The second overtime game of the weekend ended in a 1-1 tie with La Salle. Ippolito made a career-high fourteen saves on the game. In it's season opener, Loyola came out strong defeating Townsend. Two of the team's three goals in the game were scored by sophomore forward Nicole Schiro, who was named to Top Drawer Soccer's National Team of the Week in August. The Greyhounds are scheduled to face Saint Louis on Sunday. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.
PEEPING ON THE PANTHERS
Milwaukee is looking at 2-3-2 record so far on the season. The Panthers came out against in-state foe, Wisconsin on Sunday and fell to the Badgers 1-1. Despite having control of the ball through the midfield during most of the game, Milwaukee could not get any points on the board. The loss marks the Panther's first to the Badgers since 2005. Milwaukee also faced Marquette in a mid-week game last Wednesday. The Panthers kept the game at a 1-1 tie despite being outshot by Marquette 27-7. Milwaukee scored a win over Michigan State on September 5. The Panthers held off the Spartans with a 3-2 finish. Milwaukee scored three first-half goals and was able to hold off the Spartans for the second half, allowing only two goals from MSU. Milwaukee headed south for a 5 p.m. match-up against Kansas in Lawrence, Kan. on Friday.
AT THE TOP OF TOPDRAWER
Freshmen Dominique Richardson and Danielle Nottingham received recognition from topdrawersoccer.com this week. The two have been ranked in the website's College Freshman National Top 100 Women. Richardson, a midfielder from Fullerton, Calif, checked in at No. 74 on the list. Richardson has started in all five games for the Tigers this season, and she has racked up a team-leading 16 shots. She has two goals on the season. Nottingham, a Frisco, Texas native, came in at the No. 79 spot. She has also earned a starting position for Mizzou, playing a total of 333 minutes so far this season. Nottingham has five shots and one assist on the season.
BLITZ WINS 200
Head coach Bryan Blitz earned his 200th career win last week in a 4-0 shutout of Arkansas. For Blitz, the next win was more important that the 200th. The program's only head coach credits the players he has coached with his success. Blitz holds a record of 200-172-25 on his career. Before coming to Missouri, the Dallas, Texas native spent five years as the head coach for Butler University where he amassed a record of 45-44-8.
GWIN SAVES THE DAY
Sophomore keeper Jessica Gwin is stepping up this season after having a year of experience under Tasha Dittamore. Gwin has started all five games for the Tigers, which have included games against nationally ranked teams Maryland, Duke and North Carolina. So far this season Gwin has racked up 34 saves, with over 488 minutes of playing time. She has been first in the Big 12 in the categories of saves and saves per game (6.80) for two consecutive weeks.
RICHARDSON NOTCHES FIRST GOAL
Freshman Dominique Richardson stepped up to the plate for the Tigers against Maryland, scoring the first goal of the game. The long-range shot marks her first goal at MU. "I looked up and saw it was going in and I kind of got the chills," said Richardson. "It's my first college goal so that's pretty special for me."
MIZZOU SELECTED THIRD IN PRESEASON POLL
The defending Big 12 regular season champions received 69 points and one first place vote in the the Big 12 preseason poll released on Aug. 11. The Tigers came in at No. 3, above last year's Big 12 tournament winner, Oklahoma State. Texas A&M secured the top spot in the poll, voted on by the league's coaches. Missouri senior Alysha Bonnick was chosen for the Preseason All-Big 12 team. Bonnick finished last season with 11 goals and four assists, and she has 12 career game-winning goals to date, tying her for the school record with alum Nikki Thole.
TIGERS WELCOME SEVEN
After graduating seven seniors, Mizzou added another seven to its roster. The Tigers welcomed six freshmen and one senior transfer from Clemson. Freshman forward Danielle Nottingham is already showing her stripes, netting the only two goals in the Tigers' preseason match against the University of Illinois. Freshmen Dominique Richardson and Alyssa Diggs joined Nottingham as starters for the Tigers on the day. Senior Paula Pritzen is working hard for a goalkeeping position as she comes in under sophomore Jessica Gwin who has a year of experience with the Tigers under her belt. Pritzen was ranked first in the ACC in saves per game average during her sophomore and junior seasons at Clemson.
SENIOR CLASS SETS STANDARD
The Back-to-Back Big 12 Champions are starting off a new season with a new team. Mizzou lost six starters from last season including Kristin Andrighetto, Michelle Collins and goalkeeper Tasha Dittamore. Andrighetto leaves Missouri holding the school records for career shots (379) and shots on goal (165). She graduated as the team leader in points, goals, shots and shots on goal for the 2009 season. She also holds the Big 12 record for shots in the 2009 season with 113. Michelle Collins led the team in assists last season, racking up 22 assists in her career. Goalkeeper Tasha Dittamore holds the records for career shutouts (17), victories (35), games started in goal (55) and minutes in goal (4945:05).
The Tigers graduated a total of seven seniors from the University of Missouri last year, including midfielders Bree Thornton, Meghan Pfeiffer and Michelle Makasini and defender Crystal Wagner.
BACK-TO-BACK BIG 12 CHAMPS
The Tigers clinched the Big 12 regular season title last year after a 5-0 win over Nebraska. The title is the first regular season title won by a Missouri program since the softball team won it in 1997. Missouri's regular season title continued the success of the 2008 season when soccer came home from San Antonio, Texas with the Big 12 Tournament trophy. The team looks to continue its success this year as they defend their regular season title.
MIZZOU TO APPEAR ON ESPNU
Mizzou Soccer is scheduled to appear on ESPNU when the Tigers host Texas A&M at Walton Stadium in Columbia. Game time is set for 4 p.m. on October 17. The game will also mark "Adopt-a-Player Night" for the Tigers. Fans are encouraged to bring signs, posters and any other items in support of their favorite players. The soccer team will be available for autographs at the end of the game.
LEADING BY EXAMPLE
Senior captains Alysha Bonnick, Kari Adam and Krista Kruse are looking to lead the Missouri soccer team to tournament turf this season. Alysha Bonnick is coming into the 2010 season with Big 12 preseason honors. She followed close behind Kristin Andrighetto as one of the team's top scorers last season. With 12 career game-winning goals, Bonnick holds the program's record with Tiger alum Nikki Thole. Kruse leads by example on the field where she holds a midfield spot. She scored three game-winning goals last season. Kari Adam finished 2009 with two goals on 11 shots on goal and three assists. She has played 67 games so far in her career, allowing her to set an example for the younger players on the team.
TIGERS TAKE TO THE NATIONAL TEAMS
A few Missouri soccer players earned the opportunity to play at a national level. Redshirt Freshman Edith Lopez spent her summer at Mexico U-20 team camp. Edith appeared versatile during the spring season for the Tigers showing her stripes in both the striker and midfield positions. She has four years of eligibility left after redshirting her freshman year. Senior Alysha Bonnick also represented her country as one of 28 players selected by Canada Soccer to participate in the Senior National Team training camp. She also participated in the Canadian U-20 National Team camp in Vancouver as a freshman. Senior Krista Kruse and Freshman Dominique Richardson both represented the United States, Kruse with the US U-23 National Team training camp and Richardson with the U-18 training camp. Richardson attended the camp for the second time in her high school career.
FOLLOW THE TIGERS
In addition to the official news, videos, statistics, and more available on mutigers.com, updates on the Missouri women's soccer team can be found on several social media sites. Search Mizzou Soccer on www.facebook.com, check out videos at www.youtube.com/mizzousoccer and at www.vimeo.com/ user4444281, and get frequent updates at www.twitter.com/MizzouSoccer.