Soccer team gets by Colorado in overtime

Posted to Sports Blog by Vinnie Duber at 10:15 p.m., Oct. 9, 2009

MU women’s soccer certainly has a flair for the dramatic. After 90 minutes of scoreless soccer Friday night at Walton Stadium, the Tigers only needed 36 seconds of overtime to grab a 1-0 win over the Colorado Buffaloes.

After the overtime kickoff was sent down into the Colorado zone, senior forward Kristin Andrighetto was knocked down in the box. Assuming a foul was going to be called, most of the players on the field froze, as the ball stood between Andrighetto and the Colorado defender, who were both on the ground.

Senior forward Michelle Collins, realizing the whistle had not been blown, dashed after the ball and dribbled it right up to the goal, baiting the goalkeeper to one side of the net. She crossed it to junior forward Alysha Bonnick, who pushed the ball into the net for the game-winning goal.

“One of our mottos is finish,” Bonnick said. “Finish early and finish the game. And that’s what we did.”

The quick strike from Missouri was a huge change of pace from the first 90 minutes of the game, as each team’s defensive players stepped up and did not allow a goal to be scored.

A tie would have been the third straight for the Tigers, who returned home Friday after a road trip to Texas that featured ties with Texas and Texas A&M. The three ties the Tigers have played to this season already match a career high for head coach Bryan Blitz.

As has been the case all season, the Tigers continued to put on the offensive pressure, outshooting the Buffaloes 23-6. They had nine shots on goal, compared to just two for Colorado.

By not allowing any goals to the Buffaloes, senior goalkeeper Tasha Dittamore recorded her 15th career shutout, a school record.

The Tigers remain unbeaten in conference play with the win. Their record improves to 7-4-3 and 2-0-2 in the Big 12. They will host Texas Tech Sunday at Walton Stadium.