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COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri soccer team has another busy week as it heads to Tennessee for a Thursday night matchup with the No. 19 Volunteers, Oct. 6, at 6 p.m. CT. Mizzou then travels back home to welcome Florida to Walton Soccer Stadium Sunday, Oct. 9, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.
Mizzou (4-5-2, 1-2-1 SEC) took on No. 21 Mississippi State, Sept. 30, and came away with a 0-0 tie thanks to a big defensive effort from the Tigers.
Tennessee (7-3-1, 3-1 SEC) played a ranked opponent as well, Sept. 30, in No. 13 Ole Miss. The Volunteers topped the Rebels 1-0 in Oxford, Miss. Meanwhile, Florida (2-9, 0-4 SEC) lost 1-0 to No. 22 South Carolina, Sept. 29, and has yet to secure a conference win. The Gators will challenge No. 9 Arkansas, Oct. 6, before traveling to Columbia, Mo.
ALL HAIL HOLLENBACH
Redshirt freshman Bella Hollenbach was a barrier in net for Missouri against No. 21 ranked Mississippi State in the 0-0 tie, Sept. 30. Hollenbach totaled six saves in the contest, one shy of tying her season high. The redshirt freshman recorded her third shutout of the year, making her tied for third in Southeastern Conference play this season. The Woodlands, Texas native is seventh in the conference in saves (13) and save percentage (3.25) in league action.
The performance from Hollenbach earned her SEC Freshman of the Week honors, Oct. 3, for the first time in her career.
LAST TIME OUT
Mizzou held Mississippi State scoreless despite the Bulldogs being tied for third in the Southeastern Conference with an average of 2.00 goals per game. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Bella Hollenbach claimed the third shutout of her career, with six saves posted.
Sophomore Kylie Dobbs continues to be an offensive force for the Tigers as they outshot the Bulldogs, 10-7, with Dobbs tallying four shots in the contest, a career-high. Despite the sophomore’s efforts, Mizzou was held without a goal through 90 minutes as the two league foes tied, 0-0.
ALL-TIME: Tennessee
The Tigers are 2-7-1 all-time against the Volunteers. Mizzou has lost two in a row to Tennessee, with its last win coming Oct. 10, 2019 in Columbia, Mo. Missouri shut out UT, 2-0.
LAST MEETING: The Volunteers
The last meeting between Missouri and Tennessee was in a 2-1 overtime loss Sept. 26, 2021. Mizzou got on the board early with a back-and-forth play from Milena Fischer and Julissa Cisneros. Fischer fired it over the keeper’s head into the top left corner of the goal to put the Tigers up 1-0 in the ninth minute. The Volunteers were able to respond quickly, with Taylor Huff finding Jaida Thomas to level the match in the 17th minute.
Neither side was able to break through in overtime, with McKenna Sheehan forced to make a save in the first overtime period. Tennessee tapped home the game-winning goal in the 106th minute.
RANKED OPPOSITION
As it stands, Mizzou has four opponents on its 2022 schedule ranked by United Soccer Coaches. The Tigers played then-No. 1 North Carolina, Sept. 1, at home, and No. 23 Auburn, Sept. 16. The squad tied No. 21 Mississippi State, Sept. 30. Now, Missouri is set to take on No. 19 Tennessee.
UPSET WATCH
The Tigers never shy away from taking on ranked opponents and love to play spoiler. Under Head Coach Stefanie Golan, Mizzou is 2-3-1 when playing an opponent ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Top-25. Additionally, they have already upset one Southeastern Conference opponent this season, topping the former No. 23 Auburn Tigers, 1-0, Sept. 16.
ALL-TIME: Florida
Missouri is 5-8-2 against Florida all-time, and has won the last three consecutive meetings between the Tigers and the Gators. Mizzou has not lost to Florida since Sept. 26, 2019.
LAST MEETING: The Gators
Missouri went on the road and defeated Florida, Oct. 10, 2021, in overtime by a score of 3-2.
The Tigers were on the board first as Blythe Beldner fired a one-timer just under the bar. Florida scored twice before Mizzou would strike again, as Jadyn Easley evened the match at two-all. Easley later put the game away when she chipped in the winning goal just 51 seconds into the first overtime.
ALL-TIME: SEC
Mizzou soccer is in its 27th season of competition and has accumulated an overall record of 58-78-16 against Southeastern Conference teams. The Tigers have seen the most success versus Kentucky, holding a 9-3-1 record.
Moreover, since Missouri joined the SEC in 2012 it has totaled a record of 45-51-12 against league competition.
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
For the remaining home games this season, Mizzou will honor a senior prior to each match. The ceremony will take place on the field 15 minutes before kickoff.
This week, the Tigers will honor Megan Oduyoye. Oduyoye has appeared in 35 games for Mizzou and totaled over 2200 minutes on the field. The Cincinnati native scored her first career goal against Ole Miss, Oct. 10, 2021, and recorded her first assist Sept. 16, 2022, against Auburn. The defender was a member of the 2019-20 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll, and the 2020 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll.
SEC NETWORK GAMES
The Southeastern Conference announced its 2022 fall television schedule, including nationally televised games for Mizzou soccer. The contests against Kansas (Sept. 4), Florida (Oct. 9) and Kentucky (Oct. 20) have been designated for the SEC Network, while the remaining home games will be streamed on SEC Network+.
FOLLOWING THE TIGERS
The contests against LSU and Vanderbilt can both be viewed on SEC Network. Fans can also follow along on live stats, found on MUTigers.com, or Twitter by following @MizzouSoccer.
UP NEXT
The Tigers head back out on the road, this time to Georgia Friday, Oct 14. The contest in Athens, Ga., at the Turner Soccer Complex is scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m. CT.
