Missouri soccer returned to Columbia after its 2-1 loss to Alabama last Thursday as conference foe Tennessee came into town Sunday afternoon.
The Tigers controlled the pace of play early and struck first. But after only getting five shots up and struggling to keep up with the pace of Tennessee’s attack, Missouri fell 2-1 in double overtime.
The first half started with a bang when sophomore defender Grace Pettet made a dribble move to drop her defender. In the ninth minute, leading goal scorer and freshman midfielder Milena Fischer found the back of the net on her first shot of the day.
Missouri came out of the gate aggressive and attacked early. The midfielders controlled the ball well as the Tigers got three quick shots up early. But after the quick start, the game took a 180-degree turn.
After a few defensive mistakes, Tennessee sophomore forward Jaida Thomas put a shot from the right side of the box over Missouri’s junior goalkeeper McKenna Sheehan’s head to tie the score at 1.
The rest of the first half initiated the chippiness that ensued for the remainder of the match. It started in the 40th minute when Missouri junior forward Jadyn Easley picked up a yellow card. Shortly after, Volunteer junior midfielder Isabella Cook picked up a yellow card of her own.
Tennessee outshot Missouri 7-3 in the first half and in the first 20 minutes of the second half; the Tigers only put one shot on goal.
With the game tied, the Volunteers proceeded to have multiple goals called back due to offside calls, including one that sent Tennessee head coach Brian Pensky into hysterics on the sideline. The refs initially gave the goal to the Volunteers before they ultimately removed the goal from the scoreboard.
The game’s intensity increased in the 87th minute when Thomas appeared to pull down Missouri graduate defender Momola Adesanmi to the ground in the box. Thomas received a yellow from the ref, but the home crowd wanted a red card.
The Volunteers more than doubled the Tigers’ shot total in the first half, and Missouri went into overtime hoping they could steal a game.
In overtime, Missouri’s defense made multiple crucial plays, including the play of the game when sophomore defender Megan Oduyoye stepped in front of a bullet of a shot by the Volunteers.
But the Tiger defense couldn’t hold up long enough, and in the second overtime Tennessee senior defender Hannah Zaluski scored a goal off a cross for the win.
Tennessee outshot Missouri 17-6, including allowing 6 shots in the 13 minutes of overtime they played. The Tigers started hot, but couldn’t keep the momentum going as a talented and aggressive Tennessee team took the win on the road.
Missouri continues to struggle in conference play as they fall to 0-3 in the SEC and 4-6 on the year. The Tigers head to Nashville, Tennessee for a conference game against Vanderbilt on Friday at 7 p.m.
Edited by Kyle Pinnell | kpinnell@themaneater.com