Sept. 30, 2010
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Game 10: Missouri (3-4-2) vs. No. 8 Oklahoma State (9-1-1)
Friday, October 1; 6:30 p.m.
Walton Stadium; Columbia, Mo.
Game 11: Missouri (3-4-2) vs. Oklahoma (5-4-1)
Sunday, October 3; 1:00 p.m.
Walton Stadium; Columbia, Mo.
Listen: KCOU-Radio 88.1 FM
Watch: Mizzou All-Access
Live Stats: GameTracker on mutigers.com
Interact: Blog on mutigers.com
LAST TIME OUT
Missouri continued its home stretch last weekend, hosting rival Kansas. The Border Showdown match ended favorably for the Tigers, with a 4-1 win. In front of the fourth largest crowd in program history, the Tigers came back from an early Kansas goal to win the game. Kendra Collins scored the equalizer goal for the Tigers in the first half, and Krista Kruse, Dominique Richardson and Alyssa Diggs also found the net for Mizzou. Diggs notched her first career goal, with an assist from fellow freshman Danielle Nottingham. Missouri outshot the Jayhawks 25-6, proving to be a tough opponent for KU.
SCOPING OUT OKLAHOMA STATE
No. 8 Oklahoma State has consistently moved up in the rankings this season. The team sat at No. 12 last week, up from the No. 13 spot. OSU is 9-1-1 overall, having faced other nationally ranked opponents Portland and Memphis among others. The Cowgirls put up a fight against Portland, falling 1-0 to the school. In the same weekend, Oklahoma State topped Memphis 2-1. Portland is ranked No. 4 in the nation, while Memphis dropped from the No. 25 position this week. Oklahoma State opened conference play last weekend as well, facing Baylor and Texas Tech. The Cowgirls went 2-for-2 on the weekend, topping Baylor 2-1 and shutting out Texas Tech 2-0. OSU's Kyndall Treadwell netted the winning goal over Baylor in the 88th minute of play. Krista Lopez also stepped up for the Cowgirls over the weekend, scoring both goals against Texas Tech on Sunday. The two wins bring OSU to an unbeaten streak of eight games. Oklahoma State outshot TTU 23-2, and goalkeeper AD Franch recorded her fifth shutout of the season.
OKLAHOMA OUTLOOK
The Oklahoma Sooners are sitting on a record of 5-4-1 so far on the season. Oklahoma suffered losses to nationally-ranked Oklahoma State and USC, among others. Oklahoma came out strong against in-state foe Oklahoma State, falling 1-0 in the match. The Sooners followed the Cowgirls to Texas, facing Texas Tech and Baylor last weekend to open Big 12 play. In Friday's match, OU fell to Texas Tech 3-1. Despite outshooting the team by six shots on goal, the Sooners could not put away any of their chances, said Head Coach Nicole Nelson. Continuing the trend for its 2010 season, the Sooners rebounded to top Baylor 3-2 in Sunday's match. In each of Oklahoma's four losses on the season, the team has come back to win the following match. Kelsey Kraft netted two goals in the game.
SERIES HISTORY
Missouri is 9-6-1 against Oklahoma State in program history. Missouri topped the Cowgirls in the first seven matches of the series before tying 1-1 in a double overtime game in 2003. The two teams met up at the Big 12 Championship semifinals last year. The Tigers dropped 3-2 to OSU, allowing the team to capitalize on the only three shots on goal it made. Alysha Bonnick and Kristin Andrighetto netted Missouri's two goals in the match.
Last year's match against Oklahoma marked the fifth overtime game of the season for Mizzou. The 1-0 victory moved Missouri into the top spot in the Big 12 Conference. Michelle Collins scored for the Tigers with an assist from Kristin Andrighetto. The game earned goalkeeper Tasha Dittamore her 32nd victory and 16th shutout of her career, moving her to the top of the Tiger's career record for wins. Missouri is 8-4-1 on the series with Oklahoma.
FANS TOP 2000 AT BLACKOUT GAME
Missouri's home match against KU brought in the fourth-largest crowd in program history. The Tigers topped KU 4-1 in front of 1,116 fans. This Friday, Mizzou soccer will attempt to break the current single game attendance record at Walton Stadium of 1,926 which was set in August of 2001 when Missouri hosted Memphis. In addition to "Top 2000 Night," Friday will stand as a Blackout Game. Fans are encouraged to wear all black, and the first 200 students with and MU ID will receive a free t-shirt. Admission to this weekend's games will be one dollar for all fans, however students will still be free. Student-athletes are encouraged to attend Friday's game against Oklahoma State for Tiger Cup Night as well.
BONNICK IN THE BIG 12
Senior co-captain Alysha Bonnick is holding steady in the league this week. The forward from North Gower, Ontario is ranked No. 5 in the Big 12 conference for goals per game (.56). She sits at No. 6 in the categories of goals (5) and shots per game (3.33) and holds the No. 7 spot in points per game (1.22). In the category of points, Bonnick is ranked 10th with 11 points so far on the season. Bonnick leads the Tigers in points, goals, shots and shots on goal. In the record books, Bonnick is the third-highest scorer in program history with 35 career goals so far, she sits below Kristin Andrighetto (38) and Nikki Thole (61).
Haley Krentz HEATS UP
Tiger midfielder Haley Krentz was on fire during Missouri's matches against Loyola Maryland and Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Krentz scored the game-winning goal for the Tigers against Loyola one minute into the second overtime period. She hit the back of the net again on Sunday against Milwaukee, helping the Tigers gain ground against the Panthers. Krentz now has three career goals.
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 total of 24 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 605 minutes so far this season. Nottingham has 11 shots and two assists on the season.
BLITZ WINS 200
Head coach Bryan Blitz earned his 200th career win 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 202-173-25 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 in seven 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 35 saves, with over 511 minutes of playing time. She ranks third in the conference for saves per game (5.00) and holds the No. 5 spot for saves (35).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.