Missouri soccer schedule analysis

Posted to Sports Blog by Vinnie Duber at 6:53 p.m., Aug. 27, 2009

The Missouri women’s soccer team began its season last Friday with a 3-2 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes. It was a great start to the season for the Tigers, who face a rigorous schedule a year after claiming the Big 12 Championship.

Missouri follows up the opener against Iowa with four straight non-conference home games. The Tigers will welcome Northwestern, DePaul, Rhode Island and Long Beach State to Walton Stadium between Aug. 28 and Sept. 6.

What follows is a tough stretch of two tournaments in 10 days, the first in Alabama and the second in California.

The Tigers travel to the Auburn Tournament, where they will square off against the host school, as well as Vanderbilt.

Then it’s off to California where Missouri takes on the Bruins and Loyola Marymount in the UCLA Invitational. Missouri wraps up non-conference play with a home game against Northern Iowa on Sept. 25.

Two days later, the Tigers open their Big 12 schedule at home with a big test against Oklahoma State — another conference team earning national attention.

Road games against Texas and Texas A&M are the prelude to one of the team’s most anticipated matches of the season, a showdown against Colorado on Oct. 9.

Several Tigers are looking forward to battling the Buffs, a team they upset 1-0 last season when Colorado was ranked 15th in the nation.

Three straight Big 12 South opponents (Texas Tech, Baylor and Oklahoma) follow the big game with Colorado, and then it’s Iowa State and Nebraska at home before the regular season finale with the rival Kansas Jayhawks.

Make sure to highlight the Oct. 4 game in College Station. The Tigers and Aggies are tied for first in the Big 12 coaches’ preseason poll, and they will be facing off that Sunday on ESPNU.

Which game does coach Bryan Blitz have marked on his calendar?

“The next one.”