Sept. 9, 2010
Game 6: Missouri (0-3-2) vs. Arkansas (2-2-0)
Friday, September 10; 6:00 p.m.
Walton Stadium; Columbia, Mo.
Watch: Mizzou All-Access
Live Stats: GameTracker on mutigers.com
Columbia, Mo--Missouri is back in Columbia this weekend, as the Tigers will host the Arkansas Razorbacks at Walton Stadium. Game time is set for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 10. The Tigers will offer discounted admission to the Fire and Police Departments in remembrance of 9/11. Discounted admission will also be offered to employees of the University and Student Health Centers and local boy and girl scout troops. Members of local YMCAs will receive ticket vouchers for entrance to the game.
LAST TIME OUT
Missouri is finally back at Walton Stadium after playing five consecutive road games. Last weekend the Tigers headed up north to the Windy City for games against DePaul and Northwestern. Mizzou came home even on the weekend, with overtime draws against both teams. The weekend brought Missouri's record to 0-3-2 on the season. Missouri came out strong in Chicago, outshooting DePaul and Northwestern 16-6 and 17-9, respectively. Freshman Dominique Richardson put the Tigers on the board against DePaul with a shot from 40 yards out that sailed right into the upper left corner of the goal. Alysha Bonnick scored her team-leading third goal of the season against Northwestern off of a cross from Kendra Collins
RAZORBACK REPORT
Arkansas is also coming off of a stretch of road games. Arkansas faced Miami and Florida Gulf Coast in Fort Meyers, Fla. last weekend. Arkansas split the weekend, coming home with a 1-0 victory over Miami and a 1-0 loss to FGCU. Goalkeeper Britni Williams earned her 28th career win over the weekend, which ties the school record for wins, which was previously set in 2006. Senior Laurel Pastor and sophomore Allie Chandler were named to the Florida Gulf Coast University Embassy Suites Kick-Off Classic all-tournament soccer team also. Earlier in the season the Razorbacks traveled to Nacogdoches, Texas to play against Stephen F. Austin. The 2-1 loss ended Arkansas' unbeaten streak of 11 games in non-conference road play with a 9-0-2 mark going back to the 2007 season. After playing Mizzou, the Razorbacks will head over to Springfield to face Missouri State. The game will take place at 4 p.m.
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.
THE HOME STRETCH APPROACHES
Friday, Sept. 10 marks the beginning of a six-game home stretch for the Tigers. After traveling three weekends in a row, the home games will be a welcome change for Missouri. The series will begin with this Friday's match-up against Arkansas that kicks off at 6:30 p.m. The Tigers will recognize University and Student health Center employees by offering $2 admission to staff with proper identification. Members of local YMCAs will also receive vouchers for game tickets, and players will sign autographs after the game. Mizzou will also honor those that lost their lives on 9/11 by holding a moment of silence before the game. Members of Fire and Police Departments will be offered a special discount for entrace to the game. Other opponents in the home stretch include Loyola Maryland, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma.
BLITZ APPROACHES MILESTONE
Head coach Bryan Blitz is starting off this season in record-breaking position, nearing his 200th career win. Blitz ended last season with an overall record of 199-169-23 after winning his 150th match with the Tigers. Before coming to Missouri, Blitz held the head coaching position at Butler University for five years, where he amassed a 45-44-8 record. So far in the season, Blitz holds a record of 154-128-14 at Mizzou.
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.
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.
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.
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.