Nov. 6, 2007
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Columbia, Mo. -
The 22nd-ranked University of Missouri women's soccer team (12-6-0, 6-4-0 Big 12), the No. 4 seed in the Big 12 Championship, will play the No. 5 seed, Texas Tech (7-7-2, 5-4-1 Big 12) Wednesday (Nov. 7) at 1:30 p.m. at Blossom Soccer Stadium in San Antonio.
What's on the Line...
If the Tigers defeat Texas Tech Wednesday, they will earn their 13th victory of the year, one behind the program record of 14 set by the 1999 team. A win would put them into the second round of the Big 12 Championship to face the winner of Wednesday's first round game between second-ranked Texas A&M and Iowa State. In addition to Mizzou's goal of finishing well at the conference tournament, the Tigers are also looking to earn as many wins as they can as they wait to hear from the NCAA about postseason tournament selections and seeding. Mizzou's resume is already impressive, with wins against the current No. 2 team in the nation, Texas A&M, then-No. 20 Illinois, then-No. 19 California, as well as shutout wins over Colorado and Texas Tech. But the Tigers have slipped after those big wins, closing the season with a 3-4 record after beating Texas Tech.
Last Time Out
Then-No. 18 Mizzou fell to Kansas, 2-1, last Friday (Nov. 2) in Lawrence. Mizzou scored first in the game, but the Jayhawks converted on their only two corner kicks of the game, to score twice in the final 20 minutes, taking the Border Showdown game and tying Mizzou for third in the Big 12.
2007 Big 12 Championship
The Big 12 Championship will be held at Blossom Soccer Stadium in San Antonio for the 11th consecutive year. Texas A&M, who is ranked second, nationally, has earned the No. 1 seed for the Championship, and they will play eighth-seeded Iowa State Wednesday (Nov. 7) at 11:30 a.m., the first game of the opening round. The winner of that game will face the winner of the Mizzou-Texas Tech game at 5:30 p.m. Friday (Nov. 9). In the other half of the bracket, Texas earned the No. 2 seed, and they will face No. 7 Colorado at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday (Nov. 7). The winner of that game will face the winner of the last game of the night Wednesday, between third-seeded Kansas and the No. 6 seed, Oklahoma State. The winners of the semifinal games will meet Sunday (Nov. 11) to battle for the Big 12 Championship.
Back to Big 12 Championship
After finishing in a tie for 10th place last season, the Tigers jumped up to a tie for third in 2007, the biggest improvement in the conference from last season to this one. It is also the best conference turnaround in Mizzou soccer history. The Tigers will make their ninth tournament appearance in the past 10 years. Last season, Mizzou did not qualify for the eight-team tournament. Mizzou has never won the Big 12 Championship, and they have lost their last two tournament games after they lost to Oklahoma State in the 2003 title game. The Tigers also made it to, and then lost, the championship game in 1998 and 1999.
Revisiting the Preseason Poll
Both the Tigers and Red Raiders outperformed their projected season finishes. The Tigers were supposed to finish eighth, while Texas Tech was picked to finish 10th. The conference's coaches got the No. 1 and No. 2 spots correct, as Texas A&M and Texas finished first and second, respectively, exactly where they were chosen to finish prior to the season.
Third Place Finish Ties 1999 Team
Mizzou tied Kansas for third in the conference's final regular season standings with 18 points. The Jayhawks earned the third seed in the championship, however, as they took the head-to-head meeting last Friday (Nov. 2) in Lawrence. The Tigers tied the 1999 team with their tie for third, as that team also finished third, after they went 6-3-1 in the league to tie Baylor with 19 points.
MU Picks Up Conference Honors
The University of Missouri women's soccer team earned numerous Big 12 postseason honors for their outstanding play during the 2007 regular season. Tiger Head Coach Bryan Blitz was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year, while freshman forward Alysha Bonnick was named the league's Rookie of the Year. Tiger sophomore Kristin Andrighetto was selected to the All-Big 12 first team, and Kat Tarr, Mo Redmond, Meghan Pfeiffer and Michelle Collins were selected to the second team. Additionally, Tasha Dittamore, Katya Hessel and Bonnick were named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team.
2007 Big 12 Awards
Coach of the Year
Bryan Blitz
Offensive Player of the Year
Ashlee Pistorius, Texas A&M
Defensive Player of the Year
Kasey Moore, Texas
Rookie of the Year
Alysha Bonnick
Tigers Best Road Team in Mizzou History
The Tigers are 5-3 on the road this season. Their five wins is a new program record, besting the 1999 and 2004 squads who each earned four victories away from Walton Stadium.
Blitz Earns Fourth 12-win Season
With Mizzou's win over Nebraska, Tiger Head Coach Bryan Blitz's squad won its 12th game of the season, the highest total since the 2003 season.
Nearing Wins Record...
The Tigers are just two victories away from tying the 1999 team's mark of 14, which has stood to be the highest number of wins in program history.
Tigers Nearing Shutout Record
The Tigers' next shutout would tie the program record of seven, set in the 2005 season. Mizzou earned one of its six shutouts Oct. 5 when they shut out Texas Tech in their 2-0 victory in Lubbock.
Bonnick's Freshman Year
Tiger freshman forward Alysha Bonnick has nine goals and eight assists on the season, giving her 26 points. Her nine goals ties her for second among Mizzou freshman all-time with Melissa Peabody, who scored nine in her freshman season (2001). Erin Grimsley holds the program record with 14 goals scored in her freshman season (1998). Grimsley also holds the assists record with 13, giving her the most points scored by a freshman, 41.
Andrighetto is Earning Extra Points
Andrighetto has earned 32 points on the season, the highest by a Mizzou player since Adriene Davis scored 37 in 2001. Andrighetto's point total ranks sixth on Mizzou's season record list. Her 12 goals this season ties her for fifth on Mizzou's all-time leader board. Career-wise, she is now 10th on Mizzou's career points list, with 45, and eighth on Mizzou's all-time goals list, with 18. Andrighetto is 21st in the nation with a 1.78 points per game average.
Tiger Duo Scoring A Bunch
Tiger forwards Michelle Collins and Kristin Andrighetto have combined to score 23 goals on the season, equaling the 23 the Tigers have given up all year. If the duo finishes the season with a higher total than Mizzou's opponents, it would be the first time in Tiger history Mizzou's top two scorers have outscored their opponents.
Everyone Plays Offense
The Tigers offensive attack is not a closed-door meeting for forwards only. Defender Kat Tarr has scored four goals on the season, including two on penalty kicks. Midfielder Mo Redmond has two goals on the year, to go along with her six assists. Midfielder Katya Hessel has two goals, while fellow midfielders Janelle Cordia, Krista Kruse and Meghan Pfeiffer each have one.
Tigers Collect Weekly Conference Honors
Bonnick, Collins, Andrighetto and Kari Adam each earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors during the regular season. Collins was named the Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 4, after scoring three goals over the first weekend of action, including two in the Tigers' 3-1 win over then-No. 20 Illinois. Bonnick earned the Newcomer of the Week award on Sept. 25, as she recorded seven points, including two game-winning goals as then-No. 20 Missouri defeated then-No. 19 Cal and TCU to improve to 6-2 on the season. Adam scored the first two goals of her career in Mizzou's conference opening, 3-2, double overtime upset of No. 3 Texas A&M Sept. 28, winning the Newcomer of the Week award. Andrighetto won the Offensive Player of the Week award for that same week, as she scored two game-winning goals during the first weekend of conference action. In the Tigers' 3-2 double overtime win over No. 3 Texas A&M (Sept. 28), Andrighetto netted Mizzou's game-winning goal in the last minute of the second overtime period. The Pleasant Hill, Calif., native followed up that performance on Sunday recording her ninth goal of the year in the 4-2 victory over Baylor.
...And Weekly National Honors, Too
Collins was named to the TopDrawer Soccer Women's College Team of the Week and the Soccer America Women's Team of the Week for her efforts during the first week of the season. Andrighetto was named to the Soccer America Women's Team of the Week, after scoring two goals and assisting on three, in Mizzou's wins over California and TCU. Bonnick was also selected to the Soccer Buzz National Elite Team of the Week on Sept. 25. Tarr, a Mizzou junior defender, was selected to the Soccer America Women's Team of the Week and the Soccer Buzz Elite Team of the Week on Oct. 2. Lindsay McCoy was selected to the TopDrawer Soccer Women's College Team of the Week for the week of Oct. 1-7.
Working on Goal Differential
The Tigers are out-scoring their opponents, 47-23, this season, a difference of 24 goals. That number would be a new program record if the season ended today. Both the 1998 and 2001 teams finished the season with 18 more goals than their opponents, and the 1999 team finished with a 17 goal advantage.
McCoy Earns Academic Honor
Last week, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) selected Tiger junior defender Lindsay McCoy to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 7 University Division Soccer team.
Tiger Quick Notes
1-Mallory Forst-6-3 on season in goal ... Earned three shutouts ... Scored one goal as forward ... Also notched four assists on season.
2-Bree Thornton-Tore ACL; out for the reminder of the year. Season: Seven starts in seven games, one assist
3-Meghan Pfeiffer-Started all 18 games at midfielder ... One goal and one assist on the year ... Fourth on team in minutes played (1431).
4-Lindsay McCoy-Started all 18 games on the back line ... Earned four assists on season ... Played most minutes on team (1605).
5-Kari Adam- Three goals on season ... Named Big 12 Conference Newcomer of the Week for her two-goal performance against Texas A&M.
7-Katya Hessel-Two goals, three assists ... Played in 17 of 18 games ... Third on team with 44 shots.
8-Crystal Wagner-Started all 18 on defense ... Earned an assist on Adam goal vs. A&M.
9-Krista Kruse-Played in every game but two because of an injury ... Has one goal and one assist on season
11-Alysha Bonnick-Third on team with nine goals ... Also has eight assists for a total of 26 points.
12-Mo Redmond-Two goals and six assists on season ... Started 17 of 18 games ... Five game-winning assists
13-Janelle Cordia-Played in all 18 games ... Scored first goal of season Friday (Oct. 19) against Texas ... One assist from midfield position this year.
14-Michelle Collins-Second on team with 11 goals ... Tied for fourth on team with four assists
15-Tasha Dittamore-Earned sixth win of the season Sunday (Oct. 28) against Nebraska ... Six wins and three shutouts on season.
16-Kristin Andrighetto-Leads team with 12 goals ... Tied for first with eight assists ... 21st in the nation with a 1.78 points per game average ... Three game-winning goals on season.
17-Caitlin Linas-Has played in 16 games as a defender/midfielder ... Started first game of her career Sunday (Oct. 28) in win over Nebraska.
18-Brittany Hopkins-Out for season (ACL) ... Played in 11 games, started three.
19-Kat Tarr-defender has started 17 games ... Second in team in minutes played (1601) ... Fourth on team with four goals.
20-Ashley Hamblin-played in all 18 games ... Dished out three assists on the year ... Has taken 20 shots.
22-Kelsey Stokes-Started game against Kansas (Nov. 2) ... Played in all 18 games ... Has taken eight shots, including four on goal.
23-Emily Zaler-Mizzou's third goalkeeper is gaining experience in practice after transferring from Oregon
