| Match | Location | Day/Time (CT) | Media |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas | Lawrence, Kan. | Sunday // 1 p.m. CT | YouTube // Live Stats |
Game Notes: Mizzou |
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Mizzou soccer team (11-6-3) opens play in the 2014 NCAA Tournament with a first round match against Kansas on Sunday, Nov. 16 at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kan. The Tigers are making their sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, joining 1999, 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2012, but Sunday's game marks Missouri's first Tournament contest played away from home in program history.
The winner of Sundays's game advances to play either Washington or Rider in the second round on Friday, Nov. 21.
TIGER TIDBITS
-2014 marks Mizzou's sixth NCAA Tournament bid in program history, joining berths earned in 1999, 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2012.
-Sunday's match also marks the first road NCAA match in program history, as all eight previous games were played at Missouri's Walton Stadium.
-The Tigers own a 2-3-3 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament, while the Jayhawks are 4-5.
-The Jayhawks hold a slim 10-9-1 edge in the all-time series, although the two squads have not met since the 2011 season. Kansas has won the only NCAA Tournament match between the two squads, a 2-0 Jayhawk win in the second round in 2003 at Walton Stadium.
-The last game between the two teams was a thriller, as Mizzou recovered from a 2-0 deficit to score three goals in the final six minutes of regulation for a 3-2 Tiger victory on Oct. 21, 2011.
-Three Tigers have tallied at least 15 points in 2014: Kaysie Clark (17 points), senior Taylor Grant (15 points) and Russell (15 points).
-2014 was a year of milestones for Tiger Head Coach Bryan Blitz. He recorded both his 200th career win at Mizzou and his 250th total career win this season. His school record now stands at 207-163-24, while his career head coaching record is 252-208-32.
-Mizzou has gotten big contributions from its freshman class in 2014, as five Tiger newcomers (Kaitlyn Clark, Allie Hess, Jessica Johnson, Alli Magaletta and Savannah Trujillo) have combined to post 35 points on 11 goals and 13 assists.
Mizzou in the NCAA Tournament
The 2014 berth marks the sixth NCAA Tournament bid for the Tigers, joining 1999, 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2012. In all, the Tigers have played eight Tournament games, all at Walton Stadium, and own a record of 2-3-3 in those games. Two of Mizzou's three losses in the Tournament came in overtime, as the Tigers lost to eventual national champion USC in double overtime in 2007 and fell to Marquette in quadruple overtime in 1999.
Overall, five of Mizzou's eight Tournament matches have gone to overtime, with the Tigers going 0-2-3 in those games.
In 2003, the Tigers' NCAA Tournament run was ended by Kansas, with a 2-0 loss to the Jayhawks in the second round.
All-Time Series with Kansas
Sunday's match marks the 21st meeting between Mizzou and Kansas in series history, with the Jayhawks holding a slim 10-9-1 edge. The two teams have not met since the 2011 season due to Missouri's move to the Southeastern Conference.
Last Time Against Kansas
The last meeting between the two sides was one of the more dramatic and memorable matches in Mizzou program history.
On Oct. 21, 2011, in Columbia, Kansas held a late 2-0 lead following goals in the 73rd and 82nd minutes. The Tigers then got on the board in the 85th minute after senior Kendra Collins chipped a shot over the Jayhawk keeper. Less than a minute later, senior Mallory Stipetich headed in a free kick from then-freshman (and current senior) Kaysie Clark to knot the match at 2-2.
Mizzou's improbable rally was capped in the 89th minute when sophomore Alyssa Diggs was taken down in the box and MU was awarded a penalty kick. Senior Kelsey Blincow calmly stepped up and converted the PK to give Tigers a 3-2 comeback victory.
Two current Tigers played in that game, Clark and goalkeeper McKenzie Sauerwein. Both played all 90 minutes of the contest, Clark at midfield and Sauerwein in net.
About Kansas
The Jayhawks enter the NCAA Tournament with a 15-5 record, which includes a 6-3 mark in Big 12 Conference play. Kansas, ranked No. 19 in the most recent NSCAA/Continental Tire top-25 poll, is coming off a close 2-1 loss to Oklahoma in last week's Big 12 Tournament.
The squad averages 1.7 goals per game, while allowing opponents just 0.7 goals per contest. Junior midfielder Liana Salazar, a two-time Big 12 first team honoree, paces the Jayhawks with 28 points on 12 goals and four assists. Junior midfielder Ashley Williams, also a 2014 Big 12 first team selection, ranks second with 16 points on seven goals and two assists.
Senior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Stroud has started all but two games in goal for the Jayhawks and boasts a 0.61 goals against average, .867 save percentage and has recorded eight shutouts. Additionally, redshirt freshman keeper Maddie Dobyns has started two games in net, including the last match against the Sooners, and owns a 1.5 goal against average and a .667 save percentage.
Eight SEC Teams Make NCAA Tournament
Mizzou was one of a record-tying eight Southeastern Conference teams to earn a berth in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, joining Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina and Texas A&M. The Aggies earned the league's automatic berth after claiming the SEC Tournament title (joining their regular season crown).
The eight bids ties the league record, set in 2011, and marks the sixth time in the last seven seasons the conference received at least six berths.
Four Tigers Earn All-SEC Honors
Four members of the Mizzou soccer team earned All-SEC honors in voting conducted by the league's coaches, the conference announced on Nov. 2. Senior Kaysie Clark claimed a spot on the first team for the second consecutive year, juniors Candace Johnson and Reagan Russell earned spots on the second team and freshman Kaitlyn Clark was named to the All-Freshman Team.
Missouri's four honorees ranked third among all schools, trailing just Texas A&M (seven) and Florida (five). South Carolina had three players earn four honors.
The honors marked the first postseason conference awards for both Russell and Kaitlyn Clark, while Johnson was named a member of the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2012. In addition to her two All-SEC first team honors, Kaysie Clark was also a member of the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team in 2011.
Mizzou Outplays SEC Expectations
Mizzou's fourth-place finish in the SEC standings was a full five spots ahead of where the conference coaches voted the Tigers in the preseason poll. In the August poll, Missouri was picked to finish ninth, in a tie with Ole Miss.
Fourth marks Mizzou's highest SEC finish since the team joined the league in 2012. Last season, the Tigers finished ninth, while the team placed fifth in 2012.
Newcomers Finding the Scoring Column
So far in 2014, five of Mizzou's freshman have scored goals for the Tigers: Kaitlyn Clark, Allie Hess, Jessica Johnson, Alli Magaletta and Savannah Trujillo.
Mizzou's five freshman scorers are tops amongst the Southeastern Conference (true freshmen only). Five SEC schools have had three freshman tally goals in 2014 to tie for second in the league. The 11 goals scored by Missouri freshman also lead the SEC, ahead of Auburn's 10.
The Tigers have also gotten 35 points from its freshman, as they've combined to record 13 assists in 2014. The 35 points rank second in the SEC, just behind Auburn's 41.
Tigers Record Two Ranked Wins in 2014
Mizzou's 2-0 victory over No. 17 Georgia on Oct. 17 marked the team's second win over a ranked opponent of the season. The Tigers also dispatched No. 14 South Carolina, 1-0, on Sept. 26. Most impressive, both wins came on the road. Missouri is now 2-3-0 against ranked foes this year, as the squad fell to No. 10 West Virginia, 3-2, on Aug. 25, No. 7 Florida, 3-1, on Sept. 28 and No. 17 South Carolina, 2-1, on Nov. 5.
Last season, Mizzou recorded three wins over ranked opponents, with wins over No. 7 Florida (1-0), No. 7 South Carolina (2-1) and No. 25 Kentucky (2-1 in 2OT).
Sauerwein Set to Tie Career Games Started Mark
Already the owner of six Mizzou career program records, redshirt goalkeeper McKenzie Sauerwein should add another to her list on Sunday. Sauerwein enters Sunday's match having started 81 games in her Tiger career, just one away from tying Dominique Richardson (2010-13) and Dyana Russell (1998-2001) for first in Tiger history. She is the only goalkeeper ranked in the top-10 on the career games started list.
The North Richland, Hills, native currently holds six other career Missouri records, all goalkeeper marks: wins (45), shutouts (21), saves (384), minutes played in goal (7504:10), games played in goal (83) and games started in goal (81).
The Distributor
Senior Kaysie Clark's playmaking ability has been on display all season. Clark has recorded 11 assists in 2014, and, although she was not credited with an assist on Taylor Grant's game-winner against TCU, Clark was the one who found Grant in the box.
Clark's 11 assists rank tied for fourth on Mizzou's single-season list, and are just three away from the program record of 14. Her 22 career assists are also tied for fifth in the career program record book. Additionally, her five game-winning assists this season already tie Missouri's single-season record.
Overall, Clark, a two-time All-SEC first team selection and a member of the 2011 Big 12 All-Newcomer Team, leads the Tigers with 17 points on three goals and 11 assists.
In her four-year career, she has compiled 52 points on 15 goals and 22 assists. She needs just two points to enter Mizzou's top-10 career points list.
Tigers a Second Half Squad?
Mizzou has scored 34 goals in 2014 (which includes one own goal), 26 of which have come in the second half or later. The Tigers have eight first half goals, compared to 24 in the second half and one in each overtime session. But, Missouri owns a 7-1 record when they do record first half goals.
Interestingly enough, one of Mizzou's seven first half tallies came just 23 seconds into the match (from junior Reagan Russell against Vanderbilt), which was the fastest goal in program history.
Blitz with Two Coaching Milestones in 2014
Mizzou Head Coach Bryan Blitz has reached two milestones already during the 2014 season. Against Montana on Sept. 12, the 19-year head coach recorded his 200th career win at Missouri. Then on Oct. 5, Missouri's 2-0 win over Vanderbilt marked Blitz's 250th career head coaching win.
Blitz has a career coaching record of 252-208-31, with five seasons at Butler to go along with his 19 years with the Tigers. His Mizzou record stands at 207-164-23.
Sister, Sister
The 2014 Tigers are a family affair, with two pairs of sisters suiting up for Mizzou. Senior Kaysie Clark is joined on the pitch by her sister, feshman Kaitlyn, while freshman Jessica Johnson joins her sister Jessica on the squad. Both Clarks can be found in the midfield during the year, while Jasmine plays in the back and Jessica plays up front.