COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Mizzou soccer team hits the pitch on Saturday, Aug. 12 with an exhibition match against Oklahoma State at 6:30 p.m. at Walton Stadium. Admission to the contest is free. 

The 2017 Tiger squad is a mix of experienced veterans and talented newcomers. Missouri returns 18 players from the 2016 team that earned an NCAA Tournament berth and posted a 11-7-2 record, including 2016 SEC Freshman of the Year Sarah Luebbert and 2016 All-SEC second team selection Kaitlyn Clark. The returners are joined by 10 freshman in 2017, who hail from four different states (Colorado, Missouri, Nevada, Texas) and England. 

The Cowgirls return eight starters from last year's squad that made the NCAA Tournament and went 9-9-3 overall and 3-4-1 in Big 12 Conference action. The squad was picked to finish sixth in the 2017 Big 12 preseason poll. 

Following Saturday's exhibition, Mizzou officially opens the 2017 season at Illinois on Friday, Aug. 18 at 7 p.m. CT. The Tigers then open their home slate on Sunday, Aug. 20 with a 4 p.m. CT match against Iowa State, televised live on SEC Network. 

All home games are played at the Audrey J. Walton Soccer Stadium. Tickets can be purchased from the Missouri Athletic Ticket Office by calling 884-PAWS locally or 1-800-CAT-PAWS. Tickets are also available for online purchase here.