Sept. 19, 2013

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Mizzou soccer team opens Southeastern Conference action on Friday, Sept. 20 when the Tigers travel to Starkville, Miss., to face Mississippi state at 7 p.m. The match will be streamed live on at HailState.com (no audo). Live stats will also be available on MizzouStats.com and HailState.com.

Missouri owns a 2-1 all-time mark against the Bulldogs, including a 2-0 win in Columbia on Oct. 7, 2012.

Up Next
The Tigers return home to Walton Stadium to host Georgia and Florida next weekend. Mizzou faces the Bulldogs on Friday, Sept. 27 at 6:30 p.m. before a 1 p.m. matchup against the Gators on Sunday, Sept. 29. Sunday's match against Florida will be televised live on ESPNU.

Last Time Out
The Tigers went 1-1 last weekend with a 3-0 home win over Eastern Illinois and a 3-2 road loss at No. 17 Portland.

Freshman Melanie Donaldson, senior Dominique Richardson and sophomore Candace Johnson all scored goals in Mizzou's shutout over the Panthers on Friday. With the shutout, Redshirt junior goalie McKenzie Sauerwein is now tied for second on Mizzou's career list with 14.

Two days later, the Tigers led for much of the match but fell to Portland, 3-2. Donaldson tallied her second goal of the weekend in the second minute to give Missouri a 1-0 lead. The Pilots tied the match in the 59th minute and added goals in the 77th and 84th minutes to take a 3-1 advantage. Junior Taylor Grant cut Mizzou's deficit to 3-2 with a tally in the 89th minute.

Scouting Mississippi State
Mississippi State comes into Friday's matchup with a 3-4 record on the season. The Bulldogs have earned wins over Arkansas State (4-0), Florida Atlantic (3-1) and Jackson State (4-2). They have suffered losses to South Alabama, Florida Gulf Coast, Southern Miss and Furman.

Elisabeth Sullivan is Mississippi State's offensive star with eight goals and an assist for 17 points so far this year. Annebel ten Broeke has added three goals and six assists for 12 points.

Goalkeeper CJ Winship has started all but one game in net and boasts a 2-3 record and a 2.44 goals against average. Meara Johnson started the Bulldogs' last game and is 1-1 with a 1.60 goals against average.

Donaldson Strikes Early
Freshman Melanie Donaldson has notched three goals during her inaugural campaign with the Tigers, which is tied for second on the team. However, all three of Donaldson's tallies share a theme: all were scored in the second minute of play.

Donaldson posted her first collegiate goal against UMKC, when the midfielder headed in a corner just 1:39 into the match. On Sept. 13, she put Missouri up 1-0 1:49 into the game against Eastern Illinois after she collected a rebound in the box. At Portland on Sept. 15, she struck just 1:13 into the match on a similar play to the Eastern Illinois goal.

Tigers Spreading the Wealth
The Missouri offense has been a full team effort so far this season. Through eight games in 2013, nine different Tigers have found the back of the net.

Additionally, the Tigers have four different players with at least three goals (Taylor Grant, Kaysie Clark, Reagan Russel and Melanie Donaldson) and six players with at least two goals (Grant, Clark, Donaldson, Russell, Dominique Richardson and Lauren Selaiden).

Mizzou's four players with at least three goals is tops amongst SEC teams, while the squad's six players with at least two goals is tied for first with Ole Miss.

Mizzou in Conference Openers
The Tigers have an all-time record of 11-6 in conference openers, which includes a 10-6 mark in Big 12 play and a 1-0 record in the SEC.

Missouri is in the midst of a 5-1 mark in league openers dating back to the 2007 season. In conference openers played on the road, the Tigers have a record of 5-3.

Last season, the Tigers defeated Auburn, 2-0, in the squad's first-ever SEC match.

Grant Picking up the Offense
Junior Taylor Grant entered her junior season with 10 career points, eight as a freshman in 2011 and two last year as a sophomore. She hit a bit of a sophomore slump in 2012, as she could not manage to find the back of the net after a four-goal freshman campaign.

Just eight games into her junior season, however, Grant has been one of Mizzou's most consistent offensive weapon. She currently leads the team in points (10) and goals (four). She also has two assists. Her eight points matches her single-season best set in 2011.

Sauerwein Creeping up the Charts
In just two seasons, redshirt junior goalkeeper McKenzie Sauerwein already has her name scattered throughout the Mizzou record book.

The North Richland Hills, Texas, native ranks second all-time at Missouri in win-loss record (.608) and goals against average (1.19), tied for second in shutouts (14), third in wins (30), saves (235) and games started in goal (45). Additionally, she ranks fourth in minutes in goal (4461:12) and games played in goal (51).

Sauerwin needs five more victories to tie Tasha Dittamore as Mizzou's all-time wins leader