Mizzou Soccer Hosts No. 13 Vanderbilt in Home Opener

Mizzou Hosts No. 13 Vanderbilt at Home
OPPONENT	LOCATION	DAY	TIME (CT)	WATCH	STATS
vs. Vanderbilt	Columbia, Mo.	Saturday, Oct. 3	5 p.m.	SEC+	Stats

ON TAP THIS WEEKEND

Mizzou Soccer is set to host Vanderbilt this Saturday, Oct. 3, at Audrey J. Walton Soccer Stadium.
The Tigers will kickoff at 5 p.m. with the match airing on SEC Network+, with Nate Gatter and Simon Rose providing play-by-play and commentary, respectively.

LAST TIME OUT

Mizzou opened the 2020 season with a 4-1 loss on the road at South Carolina. Julissa Cisneros gave the Tigers an early 1-0 lead in the 11' minute with a goal off a free kick, but the Gamecocks roared back with four unanswered goals – three in the second half – to claim victory.
It was the first time Mizzou has lost an SEC opener since joining the conference in 2012. Previously, the Tigers had gone 7-0-1 in their first eight seasons as conference members.
Mizzou got a delayed start to the 2020 season after the original season opener against Florida, scheduled for Sept. 19, was postponed due to COVID-19. The Gators had three positive cases, and the subsequent quarantines left the opposition with too few players.

SCOUTING REPORT

This will between the 11^th all-time meeting between Mizzou and the Commodores –ninth as conference rivals. The Tigers lead the series 5-3-2.
Vanderbilt has claimed the last three meetings between the two programs, posting a goal differential of +4 (9-5). Mizzou's last win came on Oct. 14, 2016, on a 2-1 affair in Columbia, Mo.
The Commodores are 1-1 on the season with a 3-2 win over Kentucky, and a 1-0 overtime loss to Tennessee this past Sunday.
Currently ranked 13th, Vanderbilt is led up front by Haley Hopkins' two goals – both against Kentucky. The Commodores have fired off 33 shots this season, landing 14 on target.

SUCCESS IN HOME OPENERS

In its 24 years of existence, Mizzou has excelled at winning its home opener. All-time, the program is 19-3-2 in home openers.
Since 2010, the Tigers have gone 8-1-1 in home openers, with the lone loss coming to No. 16 Northwestern in 2018 in a 1-0, overtime defeat (Aug. 30).
Mizzou has won its home opener in every season except 1996, 2004, 2008, 2014 and 2018.

CISNEROS LOOKS TO RIDE HOT FOOT

Cisneros continues to be a catalyst of the Mizzou attack. The junior has scored in six-straight matches dating back to last season's win over Tennessee (Oct. 13).
The six-match streak is the longest in program history since 2003 and is currently the second-longest streak in the Southeastern Conference since 2016. Only former Tennessee All-American Bunny Shaw has scored in more consecutive matches in that span, reaching the back of the net in seven-straight matches.
Cisneros is currently tied with Pitt forward Amanda West for the longest streak of consecutive games with a goal – among teams that are competing in 2020.

RANKED OPPONENTS COME TO TOWN

Vanderbilt enters this weekend's match ranked 13th in the United Soccer Coaches poll. They are the highest-ranked team to come to Columbia, Mo., since then-No. 7 South Carolina walked away with a 1-0 win in 2019 (Oct. 4).
The last time Mizzou defeated a Top 25 program was a 3-1 victory at No. 22 Kentucky on Sept. 25, 2015.
Since then, the Tigers have lost 16-straight against ranked foes.

BLITZ-ING TOWARDS ANOTHER MILESTONE

Mizzou head coach Bryan Blitz, the lone head coach in program history, is nearing 250 wins in his career roaming the sidelines in Mid-Missouri.
The 2015 SEC Coach of the Year, Blitz owns a record of 248-211-36 at Mizzou. Florida's Becky Burleigh, Texas A&M's Guerrier and South Carolina's Shelley Smith are the only coaches in the league to win 250 games at their current institution.
Auburn's Karen Hoppa is approaching the milestone with 244 wins with the Tigers.
Blitz is also fifth amongst his SEC colleagues in career wins with 293, trailing Smith (296), Hoppa (308), Guerrueri (473) and Burleigh (507).

PINK OUT

Mizzou will wear pink jerseys this weekend as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The Tigers will debut a new pink jersey from Nike this season, after having worn pink dry fit shirts in the past. The new jersey had design input from senior Macy Trujillo -- a graphic design major whose mother, Stephanie, passed away from breast cancer in 2016.

Schedule