Junior goalkeeper Tasha Dittamore sets single-season record for shutouts

Junior Tasha Dittamore has six shutouts this season.

By Sean Leahy
Oct. 7, 2008

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During Missouri's 2-0 win against Big 12 foe Texas Tech, junior goalkeeper Tasha Dittamore started doing something a little unorthodox. For seconds at a time, she would hold the ball hostage when it came to her in the goal - a virtual come-and-get-it threat to the Red Raiders offense.

It was the most Dittamore would see of the ball for the afternoon. For the second straight game Missouri (8-3, 3-1 Big 12) shut out its opponent. This time they limited Texas Tech (6-5-1,1-4 Big 12) to only three shots on goal. That total was a testament to how the Tiger defense stood up the last two games.

"The defense speaks for itself," Dittamore said. "If you can hold shutouts in the Big 12, that's something that's really going to help you throughout the whole season."

Her second straight shutout also gave Dittamore the school record for shutouts in a single season with six.

Throughout the match, the Red Raiders met the Tigers with a physical attack, but the Tigers didn't step down.

"We want teams to know that we mean business and will go in 100 percent," senior defender Kat Tarr said. "We don't want teams to think we are going to step back and let them have it."

While the defense played a large role in the two shutouts, it also keyed a significant swing in momentum for Missouri, now ranked No. 24 in the country. Before downing Colorado 1-0 on Friday, the Tigers suffered a double-overtime loss to Nebraska.

"We grew from last week," coach Bryan Blitz said of the road defeat. "We had a great game, but the outcome didn't go our way."

The first step back from the loss was the blanking of the Buffaloes, a team that was ranked No. 15 in the nation. Dittamore faced only nine shots on goal, so an early goal was all the Tigers needed to win it.

But the Tigers could not let down against a tough Tech offense.

"They are physical," Blitz said. "You have to be focused all the way through the game."

The first half saw Missouri dominate the time of possession while wearing down an overworked Red Raider defense. Every time their opponent managed to bring the ball into Tiger territory, a defender quickly snuffed out any threat.

Tarr attributes such efficient defense to communication.

"Our mouths are always moving and our heads are always on a swivel," Tarr said. "We're starting to get comfortable and are starting to read each other."

The lone defensive miscue came 30 minutes into the second half and resulted in a one-on-one between Dittamore and a charging Red Raider. The hard shot ended up right into the goalies clutch, and her shut out was left intact.

If the defense brings the intensity it showed these past two games into the rest of their Big 12 schedule, Dittamore might want to start thinking about what else she wants to do on the rare occasions she gets the ball.

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Junior goalkeeper Tasha Dittamore sets single-season record for shutouts

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