Outlook: Erica Pusch brings speed and a hard-nosed attitude to the Tiger defense ... she is one of the top defenders in the Big 12 Conference and will combine with Meggie Malm to anchor the backline for Mizzou.
Junior (2004): Started all 20 games for the Tigers ... named to the All-Big 12 Conference Second Team ... earned Academic All-Big 12 Conference recognition ... dished out an assist and scored the game-winning goal against Oklahoma on Sept. 24 ... played over 100 minutes in three of the 20 games ... played a big part in Mizzou's victory over No. 6 Texas A&M.
Sophomore (2003): Stepped up as a Mizzou standard starting all 24 games ... switching from the midfield to the Tiger defensive line, she helped the tigers to a shutout victory over then #5 Colorado during the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament ... earned Big 12 all-tournament recognition ... marking #24 Oklahoma scoring leaders Becky Nelson and Logan Womack, she paired with Ashley Gibbs to keep the duo to just three unsuccessful shots ... kept #17 California's leading scorer, Kassie Doubrava, from taking a single shot against Mizzou and kept the Golden Bears to just four shots on goal during the game ... came through against #5 Florida making a team save to thwart the Gators ... recorded a second team save defending Missouri's 2-1 victory over Baylor ... shut down Arizona's Erin Bevaqua to hear Nike Tiger Invitational all-tournament honors ... named to the academic All-Big 12 first team.
Freshman (2002): Made an immediate impact as a newcomer on the Tiger squad ... started in 12 of the 18 games she played ... was sidelined for two games recovering from an ankle injury ... playing primarily a defensive role, she earned Nike Tiger all-tournament honors ... scored one goal in her inaugural year in Mizzou's first game against Illinois delivering MU's 2-1 game-winner ... recorded Mizzou's highest shot on goal percentage taking six of her seven shots to the net for 86 percent.
Prep: Helped St. Joseph's Academy (Mo.) to the 2002 national championship ... also led St. Joseph's to a Missouri state championship and a conference title with an undefeated season ... as a senior, she earned first team all-conference, all-metro, all-state and All-Midwest accolades ... named the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Athlete of the Week in March 2002 ... scored 33 goals--including 11 game-winning goals, 35 assists and 101 points during her high school career ... helped St. Joseph to both a conference and state championship in 2001 ... chosen as an all-conference first team pick and named to an honorable mention all-metro and all-state player in 2001 ... named honorable mention all-conference and all-metro in 1999 on her way to helping St. Joseph to a district championship title ... member of the Missouri `84 Olympic Development team in 1998 and 1999 and attended the regional camp ... played club soccer for J.B. Marine in St. Louis, Mo., that was state runner-up from 2001-02 ... was nominated for the Missouri state Outstanding Sportsmanship and Ethics award ... was team captain of both St. Joseph's soccer and field hockey teams as a senior ... chose Mizzou over Illinois and Santa Clara.
Personal: Erica is the daughter of Dean and Mona Pusch ... born Aug. 9, 1984 ... majororing in biological science.
