The Tigers returned to the pitch in dominant fashion by defeating Southeast Missouri State 4-0.
Missouri women’s soccer kicked off their 2023-24 season with a dominant victory, defeating Southeast Missouri State 4-0 in their home opener.
The Tigers started five freshmen as part of their first 11, and the decision immediately paid dividends.
The first goal of the season came courtesy of first-time players. Freshman midfielder Olivia Chianelli buried a pass from freshman forward Brianna Buels in the 10th minute to put Missouri on the board.
The freshman contributions continued with an assist from freshman defender Shania Spriggs, as sophomore forward Kylee Simmons netted her first goal of the year. The Tigers controlled a majority of opening 45 minutes, carrying a 2-0 lead into halftime while outshooting the Redhawks 9-0.
It didn’t take long for Spriggs to continue her tear, as she added an unassisted goal two minutes into the second half.
To put the cherry on top of a near immaculate teamwide performance, sophomore midfielder Keegan Good buried a goal in the 62nd minute to put Missouri up by 4. All contributions came from underclassmen, with 4 of the 6 points coming from the freshman. After narrowly defeating the Redhawks 1-0 last year, the Tigers left no doubt this time around thanks to a strong incoming freshman class.
Missouri’s next game is their first road test of the year against Creighton on Aug. 20 at 6 p.m. Missouri finished with an 0-5-2 record on the road with just three goals scored.
