Sept. 10, 2009

TIGERS TRAVEL SOUTH FOR BRIEF SEC TOUR
After a four game home stand, Missouri will travel away from the confines of Walton Stadium for the next four games. This weekend, the Tigers will travel to Auburn, Ala., to play in the Auburn Invitational Tournament. Missouri will face No 21 Auburn on Friday, Sept. 11, at 7:00 p.m., followed by a matchup against Vanderbilt on Sunday at 9:00 a.m.

LAST TIME OUT
The Tigers went 1-1 at home this weekend in games against Rhode Island and Long Beach State. On Friday night, the Tigers put on a show for the Walton Stadium crowd, putting seven goals past the Rhode Island Rams. In an offensive explosion, seven different players got on the score sheet for the Tigers. Senior Kristin Andrighetto opened scoring for Missouri, netting her second goal of the season in the 22nd minute. Jessica Greer notched her first career goal for Missouri, while five other players (Krista Kruse, Bree Thornton, Alysha Bonnick, Kari Adam, and Candace Ruff) recorded their first goals of the season in a 7-1 blowout.

On Sunday against Long Beach State, a calamitous five-minute span in the second half sealed defeat for the Tigers. Long Beach State went ahead in the 29th minute before Andrighetto struck her third goal of the season, a penalty kick just over the keeper's reach, early in the second half to draw the Tigers even. LBSU's Jenny Soza scored the go-ahead goal for the 49ers in the 74th minute, before Nicole Hubbard entered the game and netted in the 76th and 79th minute. The Tigers would see their late efforts go wide of the net, as Long Beach State secured the 4-1 victory.

GETTING TO KNOW AUBURN
The No. 21 Auburn Tigers (2-0-2) are coming off an impressive home stand, defeating South Alabama and Kennesaw State by a combined score of 6-1. Senior Caitlin King is currently tied for the team lead in points with five (two goals, one assist), recently setting up the game winner against Kennesaw State and netting her own in the 86th minute of the 3-1 victory. The Tigers' 2008 leader in points, sophomore Katy Frierson, shares the current point lead with five (one goal, three assists). True freshman goalkeeper Amy Howard has 16 saves to her name, and has given up just two goals in four games.

Head Coach Karen Hoppa, 117-76-18 currently in her 11th year at Auburn, returns nine starters from her 2008 team that finished second in the SEC West (12-9-2 overall, 7-3-1 conference) and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Florida State 1-0. Missouri holds a 1-0 lead over Auburn all-time, a 1-0 victory in Columbia last season.

GETTING TO KNOW VANDERBILT
The Vanderbilt Commodores (5-0-0) are rolling over their competition in 2009, as four of their five victories have been by multiple goals. The Commodores opened the season with a five game home stand, where they outscored opponents 14-2. This past weekend, Vanderbilt posted a 3-0 drubbing of Belmont, followed by a 3-1 victory over Big 12 opponent Oklahoma on Sunday.

Junior Molly Kinsella, the team's 2008 points leader, is again off to a hot start for the Commodores having posted three goals and four assists in five games. Freshman Chelsea Stewart, a Canadian U-20 player, has notched seven points this season, with three goals and a single assist to her name. Junior goalkeeper Rachel Bachtel has two shutouts and 18 saves so far this season, and has given up only two goals.

Head Coach Ronnie Coveleskie Woodard returns nine of 11 starters from a 2008 team that finished tenth in the SEC at 9-8-2 (3-7-1). Coveleskie Woodard 73-58-25 in her ninth year at Vanderbilt. The Commodores will face Texas Tech on Friday night in Auburn before meeting Missouri, who holds the all-time series lead 1-0, on Sunday at 9:00 a.m.

RECORDS TO WATCH IN 2009
Several players are poised to make a move on the Mizzou Soccer record books this season in the career statistical categories. Andrighetto sits in fourth for game winning goals (nine), fifth in goals (30), and sixth in career points (75). Collins is seventh in game winning goals (seven), and eighth in goals (22), points (60) and assists (16). Bonnick, as a junior, ranks third in game winning goals (10), and seventh in goals (23) and points (62).

Senior goalkeeper Tasha Dittamore has set herself apart with a standout 2008 season in net for the Tigers. She currently holds the top spot on the career charts in goals against average (0.95) and goals against (38), is tied for first shutouts (14), runner-up in win percentage (.727) ranks third in wins (25), and sits in sixth in saves (121).

NEW LOOK TIGERS IN 2009
The Tigers return eight starters and 15 of 21 letter winners from their successful 2008 squad, but there are plenty of new faces as the Tigers kick off the 2009 campaign. Missouri signed one of its largest incoming classes in program history with the arrival of nine freshmen and a senior transfer for the 2009 season. Freshmen goalkeeper Jessica Gwin and freshman midfielder Haley Krentz were both named to TopDrawerSoccer's Top 100 Players to Watch, while Michelle Makasini comes to Columbia from LSU after earning TopDrawerSoccer All-American honors as a freshman and sophomore.

All told, the Tigers have a balance of 11 upperclassmen (seven seniors, four juniors) and 16 underclassmen (six sophomores, 10 freshmen) that hail from nine different states and Canada. Additionally, three new coaches will be on the sideline for the Tigers. Shaunna Daugherty, formerly an assistant at Illinois State, and Todd Shulenberger, from Clemson, join the Missouri coaching staff as assistants, while volunteer assistant Danny Graville enters his first season in charge of fitness and conditioning for the team.

MIZZOU SOCCER ONLINE
In addition to the official news, photos, statistics, and more available on mutigers.com, the Missouri soccer program is complementing the team's coverage for all those who follow Mizzou Soccer Online. The supplementary sites include a Twitter account for instant updates on the team, a YouTube channel to post match footage and media coverage, a Facebook Fan Page for news and information, and ThisIsMizzouSoccer.com which features a team blog, podcasts, and much more. The Tigers are excited to continue highlighting their program in the national spotlight via all of these resources and to provide up close and timely coverage of the team for fans, alumni, and recruits.

TOUGH SCHEDULE TO TEST TIGERS
Missouri's 2009 schedule features four reigning conference champions, eight teams that were in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, and teams from nine different conferences across the country. The Tigers will play in two weekend tournaments in September, first travelling to Alabama to face host Auburn and fellow SEC rival Vanderbilt. The following weekend, Mizzou goes on the road to Los Angeles for the UCLA Invitational to play Loyola Marymount and a marquee matchup with preseason No. 3 UCLA.

MU PICKED TO FINISH FIRST IN BIG 12
For the first time in program history, the Tigers were picked to finish first in the Big 12 Soccer Preseason Poll as voted on by the conference's coaches. Missouri and Texas A&M tied atop the league standings in cumulative voting points, with the Tigers receiving four of the 11 first place votes. 2008 Big 12 Championship runner-up Colorado came in third with 76 points, while `08 regular season champions Oklahoma State were tabbed fourth with 68 points. Perennial power Texas finished fifth, followed by Kansas, Nebraska, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Baylor, and Iowa State.

THREE TIGERS NAMED ALL-BIG 12
For the second year in a row, the Preseason All-Big 12 Team featured three Missouri Tigers. Seniors Crystal Wagner, Meghan Pfeiffer, and Andrighetto were all selected to the conference preseason team as voted on by league coaches. The three selections were the second most of any team, trailing only Texas A&M's four honorees. Andrighetto is a two-time All-Big 12 First Team selection and Pfeiffer is a two-time All-Big 12 Second Team selection; both players received the recognitions their sophomore and junior seasons.

BONNICK ON HERMANN WATCH LIST
Junior striker Alysha Bonnick is in consideration for one of the top recognitions in the sport with the NSCAA's announcement of the 2009 Hermann Trophy Watch List. Bonnick is one of 45 players in the country on the Missouri Athletic Club's (MAC) list of potential award winners, and just one of five from the Big 12 conference. The Ontario, Canada native led Missouri in scoring last season with 26 points en route to earning Soccer Buzz All-America fourth team honors and All-Big 12 First Team accolades. Bonnick was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year in 2007 after recording 32 points on 11 goals and 10 assists, all Missouri freshman records.

So far this season, Bonnick is tied for second on the team in points with four, notching two assists and scoring her first goal of the season in Missouri's 7-1 blowout of Rhode Island on Sept. 4.

THREE TIGERS INVITED TO US U-23's
Pfeiffer, Wagner, and Collins all received call-ups to travel to England with the United States U-23 National Team in July for two games against the English U-23 National Team and a match versus the Reading women's club. Only Wagner was able to accept the invitation, and the senior co-captain appeared in all three matches for the USA while abroad. Wagner led a Tigers' defense that set school records in 2008 with 12 shutouts and a 0.80 goals against average, earning Soccer Buzz All-Central region second team and NSCAA/adidas All-Central region third team honors.

NEW LOOK VIDEO BOARD AT WALTON
Mizzou soccer spectators will enjoy a new video board and sound system at Walton Stadium this season. Installed by Daktronics, Inc., the 21 feet by 12 feet, full color display is one of four new state-of-the-art displays to be added to Missouri athletic facilities. The board will be display match statistics, marketing information, and live scores, with video features expected to be added as the season progresses.