Tigers sharp in preseason win
Published Aug. 24, 2007
The MU women's soccer team got off to its best start in 2006, but injuries, youth and trouble in conference play hamstrung the team down the stretch.
If Tuesday's 5-0 dominating scrimmage win against Indiana at Walton Stadium is any indication, the Tigers' 2007 start might be just as promising, but coach Brian Blitz is making sure to rein in the team's enthusiasm for the rest of this season.
"It's a marathon, not a sprint," Blitz said. "It was a very, very good Indiana team. It's a good start, but it's an exhibition game."
But it was an exhibition game in which MU dominated possession and kept constant pressure on Indiana. In the 17th minute, freshman Alysha Bonnick headed a cross from the penalty dot past charging Indiana keeper Megan Reinhardt to give Missouri a 1-0 advantage the Tigers would add to and never relinquish.
Bonnick and Katya Hessel form a freshmen forward duo Blitz refers to as "yin and yang" because of their "polar opposite" styles. The two debuted Tuesday, and each scored a goal.
"Alysha is a workhorse," Blitz said. "You just don't want to defend her because she wears you out. With Katya, it's her sophistication."
The team as a whole controlled the midfield throughout the game.
That pressure forced a defensive miscue in the early minutes of the second half, which Hessel converted to give MU a three-goal lead. In the 61st minute, pressure deep in Indiana territory set up a free kick outside the box. Junior Mo Redmond finished the free kick from junior Lindsay McCoy.
Missouri's defensive unit shut down the Indiana attack for most of the night. Indiana's best scoring threat came in the 29th minute when Indiana sophomore Kristin Arnold pushed a breakaway chance wide right of charging sophomore keeper Tasha Dittamore.
But the night also belonged to the return of Ashley Hamblin, a junior who led the Tigers in scoring last season until suffering a season-ending knee injury against Nebraska.
The team suffered from Hamblin's absence in the latter half of 2006 and averaged one less goal per game after her injury. Hamblin said the depth of the forwards on this year's squad is impressive.
"There's five of us that are consistently playing forward, and it's good to know any of us can come in and play and be fine," Hamblin said.
The Tigers wrap up preseason play on the road tonight against Saint Louis in a scrimmage beginning at 7 p.m. SLU and Missouri are ranked No. 12 and 13, respectively, in the Soccer Buzz Central Region poll.
