Missouri soccer closed its three-game road trip with a 2-0 win over in-state rival Missouri State on Sunday in Springfield, its first match in Springfield since 1997. The Tigers’ victory was sealed by two late goals.
Junior midfielder Olivia Chianelli broke the deadlock in the 81st minute, tucking the ball into the bottom-left corner for her first goal of the season and the third of her career.
Missouri doubled the lead just four minutes later when sophomore forward Ava Vetter converted from close range inside the six-yard box. Sophomore midfielder McKenna Moran provided the assist on the play, driving the ball across the box for Vetter’s second goal of the season.
The Tigers controlled much of the first half, outshooting the Bears 7-3, with four on target. Senior forward Hailey Chambliss provided an attacking spark off the bench, recording three shots against her former team. Despite the pressure, Missouri State’s defensive efforts kept the game scoreless at halftime.
Missouri State’s redshirt captain, junior Ella Becker, kept her team in the match with eight saves, matching her career-high set earlier this season against Nebraska. Becker came up big in the first half with four stops, including a one-handed diving save off a corner kick in the eighth minute.
The Bears nearly grabbed the lead early in the second half when sophomore forward Maggie O’Keefe found herself one-on-one with Missouri’s junior goalkeeper Kate Phillips after a defensive error. Junior defender Mia Yang managed to recover and block the shot to spark a counterattack.
Following the victory, Missouri improves to 2-2-1 on the season and heads back to Columbia to host Illinois at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 4.
Edited by Colin Simmons l [email protected]
Copy edited by Ava Mohror | [email protected]
Edited by Alex Gribb | [email protected]
