On Thursday, Missouri soccer coach Brian Blitz looked like he usually does at chilly morning practices: jacket on, arms folded, beanie strapped almost down to his eyes, bundled up for the stretch run. He yelled out bursts of motivation and instruction to his players running sprints just as he usually does.
But there was something different about Blitz and his team on this particular Thursday.
For the first time all season, they head into the weekend coming off a conference loss.
Thanks to a stifling back line and an endless barrage of shots, the Tigers (10-2, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) had sprinted past the competition in their first season as members of the SEC, posting the best start in program history and winning five conference matches without a loss before stumbling to a 1-0 defeat at Tennessee on Sunday.
The Volunteers (8-3-2 overall, 3-2-1 SEC) were able to do what no other team had been able to against Missouri: penetrate the Tigers’ formidable defense and neutralize their dynamic forward combination of senior Taiwo Adeshigbin and sophomore Abi Raymer.
The loss was mired in some controversy. In the 86th minute, sophomore midfielder Kaysie Clark seemed to tie the score at one with a strike into the low left netting, but she was ruled offsides on a call Missouri players and coaches felt was questionable, if not wrong.
“It was a tight game all the way around,” Blitz said. “We had some good chances. I don’t know if we got ‘robbed.’ Anytime you rely on a situation like that, you’re not going to win the game, one way or another.”
Blitz said the loss seems to have inspired his players, and that they have bonded over the controversial call.
“I think it actually brought them closer together,” he said. “‘You win together but you also lose together.’ I’ve heard that a lot from the seniors. When you hear it from some of the older players, it galvanizes it a little bit.”
Junior midfielder Danielle Nottingham said the loss wasn’t a result of a lack of effort, and that it has made the squad more focused mentality on this weekend.
“You don’t want to lose two in a row,” Nottingham said. “Especially at our home, we never want to lose.”
The Tigers will welcome Kentucky (3-2-1 SEC) to Walton Stadium on Friday night and Mississippi State (0-5-1 SEC) on Sunday.
The Wildcats’ season has been interesting because of their inconsistency. They have shined against nationally-ranked opponents — having beaten No.12 Louisville and No.13 Florida and tied No.6 Texas A&M — but faltered against weaker teams like LSU and Arkansas, who both sport conference records under-.500.
“They’re super-talented, super-young and really, really well-coached,” Blitz said of Kentucky. “They’ve had some success, so they’ll be a handful on Friday.”
On paper, Mississippi State looks like another story. After running through an unimpressive non-conference schedule, the Bulldogs have been pummeled in the SEC. In six matches, they have been outscored 16-2, which includes a 6-0 shellacking at Tennessee on Sept. 23.
But Blitz, hat now latched down lower in the wind, won’t take anyone lightly. Not after Sunday. Not after a loss.
“Sunday is a unique game,” he said. “Mississippi State is one of those teams that has just enough to sting you.”
