Missouri soccer continued its struggles against Southeastern Conference opponents on Friday in Georgia, dropping the game 2-0.

Missouri and Georgia went back and forth throughout the first half, but neither team made much progress offensively. Missouri’s defense stepped up, forcing an offside on Georgia that prevented a goal. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Bella Hollenbach once again made an impact defensively for the Tigers, recording two saves in the half.

The second half turned for the worse for Missouri. With 25 minutes left in a scoreless game, Georgia attempted a corner kick. The ball landed in an open space where no Missouri player was close enough to get the ball out of the goal box. Georgia sophomore midfielder Ellie Gilberttook a shot, and Hollenbach blocked it. Hollenbach fell, and when a Missouri defender tried to kick the ball away, the ball ricocheted off Georgia forward Tori Penn and a Missouri teammate right back into the net, giving Georgia the game’s first goal.

Missouri sophomore defender Ashlyn Mills committed a foul minutes later, giving Georgia a penalty kick. Graduate forward Dani Murguia took the penalty and scored on Hollenbach, putting the Bulldogs up two. Any momentum the Tigers had came to a stop as the Georgia crowd cheered. Missouri tried to push the Georgia defense in the end with two shots on-goal, but neither found their way in.

Fouls may have cost Missouri a win. The Tigers committed seven fouls compared to Georgia’s four,one resulting in the corner kick. Without the fouls, Missouri could have been in a winning position and had a better chance of at least obtaining a tie.

Missouri is quickly approaching the SEC Tournament, which starts on Oct. 30. The upcoming Oct. 20 game against Kentucky this week could be a confidence-booster for the Tigers heading into the final stretch before the tournament.

Edited by Brandon Haynes | bhaynes@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Jacob Richey | jrichey@themaneater.com