Sept. 17, 2009

TIGERS HEAD WEST FOR UCLA WOMEN'S CUP
After a weekend in Alabama, the Missouri women's soccer team will travel to Los Angeles, Calif., to play in the UCLA Women's Cup. The Tigers will square off against Loyola-Marymount (4-3-0) on Friday, Sept. 18, at 6:30 p.m., and will face the No. 4 UCLA Bruins (4-1-1) on Sunday at 1 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend, the Tigers were crowned the winners of the 2009 Auburn Soccer Classic in Auburn, Ala., after going 1-0-1 against Southeastern Conference opponents Auburn and Vanderbilt.

On Friday, Missouri beat the No. 21 Auburn Tigers 2-1 in their first game of the tournament. Senior Meghan Pfeiffer notched her first goal of the season to put Missouri ahead in the 13th minute. Fellow senior Kristin Andrighetto crossed the ball into the six-yard box and Pfeiffer headed home the opening goal at the far post. Auburn would answer in the 21st minute, when an attempted clearance by Missouri deflected off Auburn midfielder Chelsea Yauch and into the back of the net. Missouri, however, would net the game-winner in the 76th minute, when senior Michelle Makasini received the ball at the top of the box from a corner kick. Makasini hit a low, hard shot which was then redirected by junior Krista Kruse and put past Auburn goalkeeper Amy Howard.

In Sunday's 9 a.m. matchup, the Tigers earned a hard-fought 1-1 double-overtime draw against Vanderbilt. In the third minute, Vanderbilt's Molly Kinsella found an unmarked Margeaux Andrews with a pass across the Missouri box. Andrews tapped in the opening goal to put the Commodores on top 1-0. Missouri dominated possession in the first half, but it wasn't until early in the second half that it would net the equalizing goal. In the 56th minute, Kruse made a long run down the right side of the field before crossing the ball to a waiting Alysha Bonnick, who headed in her second goal of the season to level the teams at 1-1. Missouri had a chance to go ahead in the 79th minute, when the team's leading goal-scorer Andrighetto found herself one-on-one with Vanderbilt goalkeeper Rachel Bechtel, but Bechtel made a sliding stop to preserve the tie. The two teams exchanged scoring opportunities in the two overtime periods, but neither could find the back of the net as the game finished 1-1.

UP NEXT
Following the UCLA Women's Cup, the Tigers return home after four consecutive games on the road. On Friday, Sept. 25, at 6:30 p.m., Missouri will have their first meeting ever with the University of Northern Iowa Panthers. The Tigers open conference play the following Sunday, Sept. 27, against Oklahoma State at 1 p.m. After the brief home stand, Missouri travels to Texas to face two Lone Star State conference rivals. Missouri will meet Texas on Friday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m., followed by a match up against Texas A&M, which will be featured on ESPNU, on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 4 p.m.

GETTING TO KNOW LOYOLA-MARYMOUNT
The 4-3-0 Loyola-Marymount Panthers are coming off a 0-2-0 showing in the Oregon Nike Tournament after winning their three previous games. The Panthers lost 3-2 to Oregon last Friday, Sept. 11, and were defeated 2-1 at the hands of Oregon State the following Sunday. Sophomore striker Erin Rementer currently leads the team in points with eight, having notched four goals in LMU's 2009 campaign. Junior Julie Gallaudet, the team's leading point-scorer in 2008, has tallied six points of her own with a goal and a team-leading four assists to her credit. Gallaudet is also leading the team with 27 total shots, 13 of which were on target.

Red shirt senior goalkeeper Allyssa Clark has played every minute this season for the Panthers, compiling a 4-3 record while giving up eight goals (1.12 GAA) and stopping 34 shots. Clark also has four shutouts so far in 2009.

Head Coach Joe Mallia is in his third season at the Panthers' helm, and has compiled a 26-15-4 to this point. His team returns eight of his starters from a 2008 campaign that saw the Panthers take third place in the WCC (10-6-3 overall, 5-2-0 conference), but failed to make it to postseason play. Friday's meeting will be the first ever between Missouri and Loyola-Marymount.

GETTING TO KNOW UCLA
After a slow start to their 2009 campaign, the No. 4 ranked UCLA Bruins (4-1-1) have won four consecutive matches. The Bruins opened their season with a 7-2 defeat at the hands of perennial powerhouse North Carolina, followed by a 1-1 draw at the University of San Diego. Since then, UCLA has gone 4-0-0 and has outscored their opponents 11-1 in that span. Most recently, the Bruins went 2-0-0 against nationally-ranked competition in the Illini Challenge Cup, defeating then-No. 11 Illinois 2-1 followed by a 3-0 drubbing of then-No. 6 Florida.

The Bruins are lead by sophomore forward Sydney Leroux, who has amassed 13 points in six games. Leroux has one assist and a team-leading six goals on the season, including the opening goal in UCLA's 3-0 victory over Florida last Sunday. Leroux also leads the team in shots with 28. Senior Kristina Larsen has notched 11 points of her own in 2009, scoring four goals and assisting on three others.

Red shirt sophomore goalkeeper Chante' Sandiford has given up only two goals since earning the starting job, and has amassed 15 saves in five games. Sandiford has three shutouts to her credit as well in her 2009 campaign.

Head Coach Jillian Ellis, currently in her 11th season with UCLA, has compiled an impressive record of 199-35-12 in her time with the school. She returns 19 letter winners from a 2008 team that 22-1-2 overall, and finished first in the Pacific 10 Conference with a perfect 9-0-0 record. The Bruins finished tied for third in the NCAA Tournament after losing 1-0 to North Carolina in the semi-finals. Sunday's match will be the first meeting between Missouri and UCLA.

UCLA TO OFFER FREE RADIO DURING WOMEN'S COLLEGE CUP
The UCLA athletic website is offering live internet radio during this weekend's Women's College Cup. The broadcasts will take place during UCLA's matches only, meaning Missouri fans will be able to listen in on Sunday's game by going to www.uclabruins.com/multimedia/ucla-stretch.html. Gametracker will also be available for all four matches as well on mutigers.com.

DITTAMORE WINS BIG 12 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior goalkeeper Tasha Dittamore was awarded Big 12 Player of the Week honors for the week of Sept. 15 after her impressive performance in the Tigers' run to first place in the Auburn Soccer Classic. Dittamore recorded seven saves against the Auburn Tigers and another four in the Tigers' overtime draw against Vanderbilt, while limiting each team to only one goal. Currently, she ranks first in the Big 12 in saves with 31, and second in saves per game averaging. 4.43.

The weekly award is the third of Dittamore's career and the first of any kind for the Tigers this season. Coincidentally, Dittamore won this award last season after an equally impressive performance against Auburn.

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 tied for fifth in career points (76). Michelle 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 (40), is tied for first shutouts (14), runner-up in win percentage (.727) ranks third in wins (26) and sits in sixth in saves (132).

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 No. 6 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 second on the team in points with six, notching two assists and scoring two goals in 2009.

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.