In its first game of Southeastern Conference play, the Missouri soccer team made vast improvements from their previous game against Notre Dame to beat Ole Miss 5-0. Both the Tigers’ defense and offense completely outmatched the Rebels.

The first 20 minutes of the game were rather uneventful, as the Tigers struggled to finish otherwise promising offensive opportunities. However, after Jessica Johnson kicked off the scoring off of a cross from Sarah Luebbert, the Tigers never looked back.

Before the half, Mizzou led 2-0 and the scoring continued in the second. Three goals scored in the second half gave Missouri a total of five, and the Tigers’ stingy defense forced a shutout.

Five different Mizzou players scored in the game: Jessica Johnson, Savannah Trujillo, Sarah Luebbert, Amanda Shaw and Allie Hess, showing a great amount of offensive diversity. The Tigers also won by five points, making it their largest margin of victory since their 6-1 win on Aug. 29, 2010, against North Carolina. Mizzou’s defense was also in great form, earning the team’s first shutout of the season.

_Grades from the Tigers’ performance:_

**Defensive effort — Grade: A**

This does not seem like it will ever be a problem seven games into the regular season. The backline for the Tigers is full of veteran leaders and scrappy young players alike, and with their great effort, it will be hard for them not to be successful in the future.

**Offensive organization — Grade: A-**

The Tigers are continuing to improve in this aspect and, as shown by their unprecedented scoring in the Mississippi game, it is leading to a lot more offensive success. This can be seen most notably in their effectiveness from set pieces and crosses. In this game alone, we saw a goal off of a beautiful cross and corner kick.

**Stamina, energy, efficiency — Grade: B-**

This is one of those things that will only improve as the year goes on and the women get more and more weekends of soccer under their belt. But at this point in the season, they do seem to over-exert themselves on both sides of the field, resulting in depleted energy levels as the game progresses. There is still room for improvement on this front.

_Edited by Peter Baugh | pbaugh@themaneater.com_