Soccer's scoring trend stretches six games

Junior midfielder says it translates into consistency, maturity.

By Greg Young

Published Oct. 5, 2008

After the initial seven games, one of the questions plaguing the women's soccer team was whether they would ever score in the first half. 

Nowadays, the better question is whether MU will ever not score in the first half. 

The team continued their dominance in the first half on Sunday with a goal in the 15th minute, when junior forward Michelle Collins headed a perfectly placed lob from junior midfielder Bree Thornton past the Texas Tech goalkeeper. MU went on to defeat the Red Raiders 2-0. Collins' goal pushed the team's streak of scoring in the first half to six games.

"It sets the momentum of the game for us," junior midfielder Kristin Andrighetto said. "Once we have that goal, we contain and just try to keep going and going."

Coach Brian Blitz spoke positively of Thornton's contribution to the first half goal.

"Bree has had a great weekend," Blitz said. "She sent a great ball across, and it was a great header."

The team was concerned before the game that they may have a letdown after their 1-0 upset win over Colorado on Friday. MU soccer, however, was in control for most of the game, dominating possession and keeping the ball in Texas Tech's end.

"It is easy to play hard on Friday and then slack off and maybe have a letdown on Sunday," Thornton said. "It is a big statement for us, saying that we are consistent and mature now."

The team's defense was also impressive. MU allowed the Red Raiders only one serious scoring opportunity and held their opponents to just three shots on goal. As a result, junior goalkeeper Tasha Dittamore has set a single season record for shutouts — seven — with the same number of games still left in the regular season.

"We want to keep everything in front of us and not give them the ability to turn on us," senior defender Kat Tarr said. "We are really big on man-marking."

Dittamore spoke of the importance of shutouts in conference play.

"If you can hold shutouts throughout the Big 12, that is something that is really going to help you throughout the whole season," she said.

Although several MU defenders have been forced to play different positions this year, the communication in the back line appears to be improving. Through their first four conference games, the team has only allowed three goals, with all of them coming against Nebraska.

"We are starting to get comfortable and starting to read each other," Tarr said.

The game was one of Missouri's most physical this season, with the Tigers out-fouling the Red Raiders, 16-5.

"They remind me of us a few years ago," Blitz said. "They are very physical, they don't beat themselves and you have to be focused all the way through the game."

MU now enters one of the toughest stretches in their schedule, with games at Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

"I definitely don't think that we've peaked yet," Dittamore said.  "We've just gotten better every single game, and we are learning to push ourselves through a whole game, which is really helping us through the season."