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Junior goalie Tasha Dittamore
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No. 22 Mizzou Opens Big 12 Play This Weekend
Tigers travel to Iowa State and Nebraska
Sept. 24, 2008
COLUMBIA, Mo. - In the midst of a four-game winning streak, the No. 22 Missouri soccer team opens Big 12 Conference play this weekend with road contests on Friday, Sept. 26 and Sunday, Sept. 28 against Iowa State and Nebraska, respectively. The Tigers (5-2-0) and Cyclones (4-4-0) kick off at 7 p.m. on Friday while Mizzou's game with Nebraska (4-4-1) will start at 1 p.m.
Last Time Out
The Tigers (5-2-0) closed out the non-conference portion of their schedule last Friday with a 2-1 win over Big Ten contender Iowa at Walton Stadium. Missouri jumped out to an early lead on junior midfielder Bree Thornton’s header, assisted by freshman midfielder Kelsey Blincow, in the fifth minute of play. The Hawkeyes (5-4-0) eventually drew even on junior midfielder Alexandria Seydel’s penalty kick in the 65th minute after sophomore forward Keli McLaughlin was fouled in the box on an Iowa attack. Junior forward Michelle Collins responded for Missouri eight minutes later with her second goal of the season, securing the victory for the Tigers. Missouri outshot its opponent 22-8, including a 10-3 advantage in shots on goal, and junior goalkeeper Tasha Dittamore made two saves as she picked up her fifth win of the 2008 season.
The game was the Tigers’ second annual Playing for Pink match as the team promoted breast cancer research and raised money for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. In front of a supportive crowd of 526 fans, the team sported pink uniforms for the occasion, threw out 25 Playing for Pink t-shirts and raffled off five autographed pink soccer balls following the match. The victory also held special significance for the team as they honored former teammate Meggie Malm (2003-06), who was killed in a car accident on Sept. 20, 2007. The Tigers held a moment of silence for her in their locker room and wore her No. 21 on the sleeves of their uniforms.
Tigers in the Polls
Missouri moved up to No. 22 in the Top Drawer Soccer national rankings this week, following Friday’s victory. While also receiving votes in the Soccer Times and NSCAA/adidas top 25 national polls, the Tigers ranked fifth in the coaches’ Central Region Rankings. Missouri’s only two losses this season have come to top-25 opponents, falling to current No. 17 Illinois in overtime and on the road at current No. 22 California.
Conference Play Set to Start
With the exception of Colorado and Texas Tech, who played their first conference match against one another on August 29, Big 12 soccer opens play conference-wide this weekend. Missouri is 6-6-0 in conference openers. None of those openers were more dramatic than last season’s 3-2 double-overtime victory over No. 4 Texas A&M when 1,545 were in attendance to see Kristin Andrighetto score with 34 seconds remaining to successfully start the Tigers’ conference campaign. The Tigers should once again be well prepared going into their opener at Iowa State on Friday, having been tested against quality teams from the Big Ten, Southeastern, and Pac-Ten conferences. One non-conference game remains for Missouri as the Tigers will face the Francis Marion Patriots on Friday, Oct. 17.
Big 12 Contender
As the Tigers kickoff their conference schedule this weekend, many expect Missouri to be among the top teams in one of the toughest conferences in the nation. Last week Soccer America wrote in their Wednesday edition of College Soccer Reporter: “Missouri is looking like it could be a Big 12 contender.” Five Big 12 schools – Texas A&M (No. 7), Texas (No. 9), Oklahoma State (No. 12), Colorado (No. 18), and Kansas (No. 25) – are currently in the NSCAA/adidas top 25 national poll. Coming off a fourth place conference finish in 2007, the Tigers were picked to finish third behind Texas and Texas A&M in the Big 12 Preseason Poll.
Well-Balanced Attack
The Missouri offense has been producing plenty of goals as of late – 10 in its last four games – and the onslaught has been via a collective effort. The Tigers’ 12 goals this season have come from 10 different players, and with sophomore Krista Kruse’s assist against Iowa, a total of 12 players have now tallied a point. Five Tigers lead the team with four points apiece: Thornton, Collins, sophomore striker Alysha Bonnick, senior captain Mo Redmond, and junior midfielder Meghan Pfeiffer.
Finishing Strong
The Tigers are developing a reputation as a second half team this season and the statistics certainly support the theory: 10 of the team’s 12 goals have come in the second half. The Tigers’ defense has followed suit, allowing just two second half goals in seven games, resulting in Missouri’s 10-2 second half advantage in goals scored this season. Following Friday’s game against Iowa, where Missouri outshot the Hawkeyes 13-1 in the second half, the Tigers have now outshot their opponents 80-35 in the second half this season.
Tigers Taking Lots of Shots
After leading the Big 12 in shots taken in 2007, Missouri shows no signs of stopping their assault on their opponents’ goal this season. Not only have the Tigers nearly doubled the shot-rate of their competition, 146-76, but they’ve also put substantially more of those shots on frame, holding a 61-36 edge in shots on goal. Three Tigers are in the top 10 in the conference in shots per game this season: Bonnick and Redmond are tied for 10th with three shots per game, while Andrighetto sits in seven with 3.29.
Andrighetto Climbing the Charts
Andrighetto is making her mark felt on the Missouri career record books this season. The junior’s three shots on goal against Iowa on Friday moved her into fifth place with 81 career shots on goal, passing Kristin Heil (2001-04). Having already moved up to fourth place on the career shots list this season, Andrighetto’s three points in 2008 have her at 53 for her career, one shy of Kristin Boeker (1997-00) for fifth on the Tigers’ career points list.
Tigers Take Advantage of Depth
Head Coach Bryan Blitz has been making the most of his roster in Missouri’s first seven games this season. All 20 players used thus far have seen at least 100 minutes of action and 18 of the 20 have started as least one game. Junior goalkeeper Tasha Dittamore is the only Tiger to have played all 633 minutes, though Missouri’s veteran backline of senior Janelle Cordia, senior Kat Tarr, and junior Crystal Wagner have all logged over 600 minutes.
Dittamore Continues Solid Start
On the defensive end of the field, Dittamore added two saves and another win to her strong junior season in the 2-1 victory over Iowa on Friday. Though Seydel’s well-taken penalty kick prevented a shutout, Dittamore is second in the Big 12 in shutouts (three) and shutouts per game (0.43). The Granite City, Ill., native also ranks third in the conference in saves per game with four and has led Missouri to the third-lowest goals against total (seven) in the Big 12 this season.
Scouting Iowa State
The Cyclones (4-4-0) are in their first season under new head coach Wendy Dillinger. After opening the season with six consecutive road games, Iowa State was welcomed home last weekend by its two largest crowds in program history for a pair of in-state rivalries. A crowd of 898 were treated to a dramatic 2-1 Cyclones’ win over Drake on Friday as sophomore midfielder Julie Chen scored the game winner, her first career goal, with 1:26 remaining. Iowa State then fell 3-2 to Iowa on Sunday, two days after the Hawkeyes and Tigers had played in Columbia.
Iowa State boasts a scoring offense ranked 68th in the nation at two goals per game. The Cyclones’ attack is led by senior forward Leslie Hill who has a career-high three goals and three assists this season. Sophomore midfielder Jordan Bishop, a 2007 Big 12 All-Newcomer Team honoree, has contributed five assists -- second-best in the Big 12 this season and 28th best in the nation in assists per game (0.63). On the defensive end, junior goalkeeper Ann Gleason ranks third in the Big 12 in both saves with 32 and saves per game with a 4.0 average. Gleason has led the conference in saves in each of her freshman and sophomore seasons.
Missouri leads the all-time series 8-4-1, but lost in overtime last season 1-0 in Columbia. Iowa State finished 8-6-5 (4-4-2, eighth place) in 2007 and was picked to finish 10th in the 2008 preseason Big 12 poll.
Scouting Nebraska
After opening the 2008 season with four losses, the Huskers (4-4-1) enter this weekend’s action on a five game unbeaten streak. Nebraska first faces No. 25 Kansas on Friday, Sept. 26 before the Tigers travel to Lincoln for the Sunday afternoon contest. The Huskers’ match against Missouri will be their seventh of eight consecutive games at home, where they currently boast a 4-1-1 record.
The Nebraska offense leads the conference in corners with 59 so far this season, as well as in offsides with 30 flagged offenses. The Huskers also rank third in the Big 12 in shots with 184 in their nine games this season and two Huskers are among league-leaders in shots per game: junior forward Shay Powell ranks third after firing a Big 12 season-high 10 shots in Nebraska’s 2-1 win over Stephen F. Austin on Sunday, Sept. 21 and senior forward Aysha Jamani ranks sixth in the conference with 26 shots. Powell has already matched her season output from last season, as she leads the team with five goals scored, fourth-best in the conference. Defensively, senior goalkeeper Brittany Pfeil is 39th in the nation in goals against average at 0.64, fifth best in the Big 12, and junior defender Anna Canigilia has contributed three goals, most recently the game winner against Stephen F. Austin on a free kick from 40 yards out.
Historically one of the best teams in the Big 12 Conference -- Nebraska has the second most NCAA Tournament appearances of all Big 12 teams and has won a league-best eight Big 12 titles – Nebraskawent 5-10-4 (1-8-1, 11th place) in 2007 and was picked to finish eighth in the Big 12 preseason poll. Missouri earned a 3-1 win over Nebraska in Columbia last season, the Tigers’ first ever regular season victory over the Huskers, and the Tigers are now 3-13 all-time against Nebraska.
Mizzou Soccer Online
In addition to the official news, photos, statistics and more that are available on mutigers.com, the Missouri soccer program is complementing the team's coverage with several supplementary sites for fans, alumni, and recruits. The team has continued to update ThisIsMizzouSoccer.com since its debut this spring, which features a coach's blog, photos and video of the team in action, team information and much more. Additionally, Missouri is the first school to launch its customized team page on the recently unveiled GoCollegeSoccer.com. Finally, the team launched a MizzouSoccer Twitter account this week to provide instant updates and information on the team. 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 all those who follow Mizzou soccer.
