IOWA CITY, Iowa – @MizzouSoccer opened its regular season with a 0-0 draw against Iowa on Friday night at the Iowa Soccer Complex. The two teams battled it out for 110 minutes, but the evenly matched game drew to a close before a winner could be decided.
In her first career start, redshirt sophomore Mercedes Sapp (Windermere, Fla.) registered a clean sheet, going for seven saves to keep the game level. In what was perhaps the highlight of the match, Sapp stared down an Iowa attacker in the 77th minute, and pushed what seemed like a sure goal out of harm's way to keep the Tigers level.
TURNING POINT
With the game nearing its end, Iowa pushed up for one last attack. In the 90th minute, it appeared the home side would walk away with a win in the season opener. However, senior defender Rachel Hise (Lucas, Tx.) had other ideas, as she executed a perfect slide-tackle in the box to knock the ball away from the attacker who otherwise had just the keeper to beat.
The ball would eventually be cleared, and the whistle to end regulation would sound seconds later.
QUOTABLES
"I am always excited about a shutout," head coach Bryan Blitz said. "We always knew it was going to be hard to travel and face a really good Iowa team, and we did that on purpose. We learned a lot. Now it is all about recovery. Now it is all about preparing for a good Iowa State team."
TOP TIGERS
- Redshirt junior Bethany Coons (Union, Mo.) led the team in shots, firing four of them. She put one on frame to nearly put the Tigers ahead.
- The junior defensive duo of Anna Frick (Webster Groves, Mo.) and Peyton Joseph (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) went the distance for Blitz, playing all 110 minutes defending on the backline. Joseph also registered two shots, including an absolute bomb that almost found the back of the net.
- Junior forward Sarah Luebbert (Jefferson City, Mo.) had two shots in the overtime period, nearly beating the opposing goalkeeper both times.
UP NEXT
The Tigers remain on the road, and travel to face Iowa State in Ames, Iowa, on Sunday. The game is set to kickoff at 2 p.m. CT.
For all the latest on Mizzou Soccer, stay tuned to MUTigers.com or follow the program on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@MizzouSoccer).
