Soccer Continues SEC Play With Games Against Auburn and No. 22 Georgia

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri soccer team stays on the road, heading to Auburn for a tiger faceoff on Thursday, Sept. 21. The game is scheduled to start at 6:30 pm CT and can be streamed on SEC Network+, where Wiley Ballard (pxp) and Storm Reif (ana) will have the call. 

The Tigers will return home for the Sunday, Sept. 24 game against No. 22 Georgia. The Southeastern Conference home opener is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be on SEC Network+ with Nate Gatter (pxp) and Simon Rose (ana).  

LAST TIME OUT

• Kicking off conference play 1-0, Mizzou defeated Florida on Sept. 15 on the road in a 3-2 thriller. The win moved Missouri’s all-time record against the Gators to 7-8-2. 
• Senior Jenna Bartels got Mizzou on the board first, with a goal in the 12th minute from junior Leah Selm and sophomore Kylee Simmons. Simmons proceeded to score the next two for the Tigers, one on a penalty kick in the 22nd minute and the other in the 49th. 
• Simmons’ second goal was assisted by senior Grace Pettet, marking the first helper of the defender’s career. 
• In net, redshirt Bella Hollenbach made four total saves, three of which came in the last 15 minutes of the game to earn her third win of the season. Moreover, the final save came with four seconds left on the clock to preserve the Missouri lead. 

SIMMONS STRIKES

• Sophomore Kylee Simmons earned her first conference weekly award on Sept. 18, capturing SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors. 
• Leading Missouri in its first SEC contest of 2023, Simmons was in on all three goals in the 3-2 win at Florida on Sept. 15, totaling two goals and an assist. 
• The game marks the second brace for the sophomore this season, and the first five-point match of her career. Additionally, the West Chester, Ohio, native leads the conference in points (16) and points per game (2.00) while tying for first in goals (7) and goals per game (.88).
• The last Tiger to record a five-point game was Milena Fischer against No. 22 BYU on Sept. 11, 2021. 

BACK-TO-BACK

• Missouri secured back-to-back weekly honors from the SEC, with Kylee Simmons earning the offensive accolade this week and Bella Hollenbach collecting the defensive award on Sept. 11. 
• The consecutive conference awards mark the first time the Tiger have been voted player of the week honors multiple times in a season since 2016. 
• In 2016, Sarah Luebbert collected SEC Player of the Week three times. 

TOUGH ROAD AHEAD

• Missouri has a tough SEC schedule ahead, with four top-25 ranked teams on the horizon. 
• The Tigers welcome No. 22 Georgia to Columbia on Sept. 24 and No. 11 Arkansas on Sept. 28. The following month, Mizzou will play No. 7 South Carolina on Oct. 8 and No. 9 Alabama on Oct. 26 at Walton Stadium. 
• Last season, Missouri earned a win over No. 23 Auburn (Sept. 16) and tied No. 21 Mississippi State (Sept. 30). 

ALL-TIME SERIES: AUBURN

• Missouri is 6-3-1 against Auburn all time, with MU winning the previous two matchups between the conference foes. 
• The Black and Gold Tigers have not won in Auburn, Ala., since Sept. 14, 2012, when they came home with a 2-0 victory. 

SCOUTING THE OTHER TIGERS

• Auburn is led offensively by senior Anna Haddock, with seven total points (two goals and three assists). Additionally, the Tigers have three others who have scored two goals: Sydney Richards, Marrissa Arias and Olivia Woodson. 
• Holding it down in net has been senior Maddie Prohaska, who has started all nine games for Auburn. Prohaska has 25 total saves on the season with a 1.04 goals against average and a .735 save percentage. 
• Auburn is coming off a 1-0 loss to Mississippi State in its conference opener Sept. 15. 

ALL-TIME SERIES: GEORGIA

• The matchup between Missouri and Georgia will mark the 11th contest linking the two programs, with the Tigers leading the all-time series 5-4-1. 
• The Bulldogs have bested the Tigers in the last three consecutive matchups, with Mizzou’s previous win over Georgia coming in Columbia on Sept. 15, 2017, 3-1.   

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

• Leading the way offensively for Georgia is redshirt senior Nicole Vernis with eight points (two goals and four assists) and graduate student Hannah White, who leads all players with three goals. 
• Sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Brown made seven of the eight starts for Georgia, totaling 23 saves and an .821 save percentage. However, senior Kenzie Solomon got the start in the Bulldogs’ previous game against Mississippi State, earning her first win of the season with two saves. 

TOP TIGERS
• GOALS: Kylee Simmons (7)
• ASSISTS: Elena Zuchowski, Bella Carrillo and Kylee Simmons (2)
• POINTS: Kylee Simmons (16)
• SAVES: Bella Hollenbach (13)

UP NEXT

• Mizzou stays at home for a game against No. 11 Arkansas on Thursday, Sept. 28. The contest against the Razorbacks will begin at 6 p.m. CT, and fans can follow the action on SEC Network.

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