By Brandon Weiss, MUTigers.com corresponent
Through Mizzou soccer's first four games, no Tiger is hotter than forward Taylor Grant.
The Texas native already boasts four goals, only one shy of her career high for a season. She has two multi-goal games in the early running, leading the squad in her final season.
"We did a lot more play over the summer, so that helped," Grant said about her preparation for the season. "But I think it's just clicking for me right now. I had a couple of rough years, so I think I'm just kind of making up for those missed shots."
Grant's scoring ability was evident as a freshman, as she netted four goals in her first season as a Tiger on .250 shooting. But she hit a wall during her sophomore campaign, failing to register a goal as she fell victim to some bad luck in a sophomore slump.
Still, Grant took her rough season in stride, using it as motivation to do better.
"I think it's always going to be motivation for me," she said. "That's what my position is. It's scoring goals. Having had that season, I shot and hit the post I think 12 times."
Grant also netted a goal in the Tigers' upset of No. 4 North Carolina, an exhibition victory at Chapel Hill in mid-August.
The Tigers began the season 2-1-1, playing all games on the road with two in Pennsylvania before winning two in Texas against TCU and SMU. They now return home for a five-game homestand, kicking off against Northwestern on Friday and finishing against LSU to start conference play on Sept. 19.
"It's always a lot easier to play at home," she said. "You have the fans, you know the field. We have to get the wins while we're home, too."
Defending the home field advantage will be key if Mizzou wants to accomplish its goals for the season. Win games, win the SEC, win the SEC Tournament and make a run in the NCAA tournament. Grant thinks all of those goals are within reach.
The Tigers' biggest strength, she said, is the team's ability to sub in players without having a drop in talent on the field. The overall team skill, Grant said, is what separates this team from her previous three seasons.
Another key to Mizzou's success this season, Grant said, is the team's chemistry.
"Everybody has their different roles," she said. "We had a bunch of freshmen coming in but we knew a bunch of them, so that made it a lot easier. They've meshed with the team and that was the biggest thing -- getting everybody to be one like a family. We did that a lot over the summer."
The chemistry carries onto the soccer field, as she noted that the team's ability to work through rough patches during games rather than turning on each other. Because of that, Grant says the team has been able to hit its stride earlier in the year and play well from the start.
"I think we're where we want to be," she said. "We just have to play the full 90 minutes. We have a string of time where we play great, then we have time where we die off. We're where we need to be, we just have to focus on finishing."
It should be easier for the team to focus on a full 90 minutes with the support of home fans for the first time this season.
"It's great having people cheer for you and having some noise," Grant said. "Just having that atmosphere makes it a lot more fun to play in. Having students and other athletes support us is an amazing thing. Just knowing people are there to see you win makes you definitely want to win."