The Mizzou soccer team reached a number of milestones in an impressive 2015 season that concluded with a 9-5-5 overall and 7-2-2 record in Southeastern Conference action. Take a quick look back at Missouri's season in review.
MIZZOU EARNS BEST-EVER SEC FINISH
Missouri placed a program-high second in the SEC regular season standings after a 7-2-2 record in conference play, only one point behind regular season champion Florida. It also marked the second time in a row the Tigers set a mark for best SEC finish after the fourth-place finish last season. Mizzou vastly outplayed expectations from the preseason poll, where the team was picked to finish sixth in a vote of the league's coaches. Additionally, the placement was the highest conference finish for the program since the Tigers claimed the 2009 Big 12 regular season title.
DEFENSE BREAKS RECORDS IN 2015
The 2015 Mizzou defense was stellar all season, allowing only 17 goals and boasting a 0.84 goals against average in 19 total matches. The 17 goals allowed were the fewest allowed in program history, bettering the 19 allowed in 2008. Additionally, the team's 0.84 goals against average was the second-lowest in Tiger history after the 0.80 GAA in the 2008 season. Mizzou allowed only 10 goals in its 11 SEC regular season matches for a goals against average of 0.87, both marks that led the league. In conference play, the Tigers notched two shutouts and allowed two goals only once.
BLITZ NAMED SEC COACH OF THE YEAR
Mizzou Head Coach Bryan Blitz was named the 2015 SEC Coach of the Year in a vote by his peers. It marked the fourth time in his career he claimed conference coach of the year honors but first time in the SEC. Previously, he earned Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2007 and 2009 and the Midwest Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year in 1995 at Butler.
In his 20th season at Mizzou, Blitz led a Mizzou team picked sixth to a second-place finish in the SEC, the highest for the team since Mizzou joined the league in 2012. His Tigers ended the regular season with a 9-4-5 overall record and a 7-2-2 mark in the SEC.
JOHNSON, RUSSELL, DONALDSON ALSO CLAIM SEC HONORS
Senior defender Candace Johnson was voted to the All-SEC first team for the first time in her career, while senior midfielder Reagan Russell and junior midfielder Melanie Donaldson earned spots on the second team.
Johnson claimed All-SEC honors for the third time in her career with a spot on the 2015 first team. She also earned spots on the second team a season ago and the All-Freshman Team in 2012. As a senior, Johnson has played every minute in 2015 and anchored a Tiger defense that led the SEC in goals against average and goals allowed. On the offensive end, Johnson has two goals and two assists for a career high six points this season. She has started 79 of the 80 games she played in her career, while playing every minute of 74 of those matches.
Russell earned second team accolades for the second consecutive season in the midfield. In her 2015 senior season, Russell has paced the Tiger attack with 10 points on four goals and two assists. Seven of those points came in the last four games of the regular season as Mizzou rose up the conference standings. She scored the game-winner at Vanderbilt on Oct. 25, the equalizer against Texas A&M in the finale and provided the game-winning assist in an overtime win at Alabama on Oct. 23. In her Tiger career, Russell tallied 36 points on 14 goals and eight assists in 83 career matches.
Donaldson earned All-SEC honors for the first time in her career thanks to her tenacious presence as Mizzou's defensive midfielder. The junior has started all 19 matches and ranked fourth among field players in minutes played at an average of 82 per contest. She played a major part in the SEC's best defense, tracking back on numerous occasions to thwart chances. Donaldson also added four points on one goal and two assists in the regular season. In her career, she has started 58 of 61 games and has 16 points on six goals and four assists.
CLOSE CONTESTS ALL THE WAY
The Tigers went 9-5-5 overall on the season in 2015 thanks to a +8 goal differential in their 19 contests. Mizzou allowed only 17 goals on the season, including giving up two goals to an opponent only twice in the 19 games. Most impressively, all five of the Tigers' losses came by a total of five goals.
OVERTIME THE NORM IN 2015
The Tigers placed a total of seven overtime contests in 2015, a number that tied the 2002 and 2013 seasons as the most in program history. Mizzou went 2-0-5 in those overtime games for a winning percentage of 64.3 percent. Both the two wins in overtime and the five ties also set program marks. The team's previous high in draws was three, accomplished in 2003, 2009, 2013 and 2014, while the two extra time wins tied the 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2014 seasons for most-ever by the program.
TIGER FANS PACKED WALTON STADIUM
A record number of fans watched the Tigers at Walton Stadium in 2015, as the team set new program records in both total attendance (8,185) and average attendance per match (818). Additionally, Mizzou the 1,571 fans who watched the Tigers take on Oregon State on Sept. 4 accounted for the fourth-biggest crowd in Missouri history.