After a torrid 7-1 start to the season, Missouri has dropped three of its last four fixtures and hopes to do some damage control this weekend against a pair of Big 12 Conference foes hailing from Texas.
Last weekend’s road sweep placed MU (8-4, 0-2 conference) in an early hole in its quest to regain conference supremacy. After an impressive non-conference showing that included a 1-0 shutout of then-No. 7 Ohio State and sweeps of Arizona and Arizona State, the Tigers looked like a team bent on returning to the NCAA Tournament this November.
If that’s to be the case, the Tigers will have to rally from a pair of losses that were tough to swallow. MU suffered a 1-0 shutout at the hands of Texas Tech last Friday before traveling to Stillwater, Okla., to face No. 2 Oklahoma State on Sunday afternoon. Despite a career-high 10 saves from redshirt freshman goalkeeper McKenzie Sauerwein and a solid performance from the midfield, the Tigers came up short in a fiery match as coach Bryan Blitz was ejected in the 32nd minute of the 2-0 loss.
“There were a lot of good things we saw over the weekend,” Blitz said. “Obviously we want to win every game. We have to bounce back, and I think this team will.”
Behind the eight ball after the opening weekend of Big 12 action, the Tigers will look to bounce back against two Texas teams. Action starts on Friday as MU welcomes No. 24 Texas A&M (8-4, 2-0 Big 12) to Columbia for its final conference showdown.
The Aggies’ attack is led by the potent duo of Annie Kunz and Kelley Monogue, who have combined for 17 goals and nine assists in just 12 games. MU will have to overcome the Aggies’ balance — 12 players have netted at least one goal thus far — and pressuring attack that has contributed to an eye-opening 248-110 shots advantage for TAMU.
If Missouri can hit the Aggies with its fast-paced attack and control possession, it may find the recipe for success. TAMU is vulnerable along the backline and in net this season, giving up a little under two goals a game to opponents.
The Tigers’ double dose of Texas soccer concludes with a Sunday afternoon matinee against the Texas Longhorns (7-3, 1-1 conference). Coming off a tight 2-1 victory over Iowa State, Texas will likely run its offense through senior Kylie Doniak (5 goals, 3 assists) as it attempts to generate firepower against a swarming MU defense that has limited opponents to just 10 goals in 12 games.
“Practice has been a lot more intense,” freshman midfielder Taylor Grant said. “You can tell we don’t want another loss.”
If the Tigers harbor hopes of victory this weekend, they’ll need much better performances from preseason all-Big 12 selection Dominique Richardson and fellow sophomore forward Alyssa Diggs.
“We’re getting chances and actually playing well all over the field,” senior defender Kelsey Blincow said. “We just need to finish and get some goals in.”
Missouri’s Big 12 home opener against Texas A&M is slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday, while a Sunday matinee against Texas begins with a scheduled 1 p.m. start time.
