DePaul hands Missouri soccer first loss of season
In a physical game, one goal was all the Blue Demons needed.
Published Sept. 1, 2009
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Senior forward Michelle Collins charges downfield against DePaul midfielder Tara Strickland on Sunday at Walton Stadium. The Tigers lost to the Blue Demons 1-0, an upset that devastated the Tigers' undefeated record this season.
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Junior forward Alysha Bonnick tries to clear Blue Demons senior midfielder Molly Borchardt during an offensive play at Sunday's matchup at Walton Stadium. The Tigers, who lost, are now 2-1 and will play this Thursday against Rhode Island.
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Freshman midfielder Jessica Greer juggles for possesion against Blue Demon defender Beth Perry Sunday at Walton Stadium. The Tigers lost in an upset to the Blue Demons, moving down the ranks from their previous spot in 11th place.
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Sunday's game between Missouri and the DePaul Blue Demons acted as the perfect example of why soccer is a contact sport. Physical play highlighted the contest at Walton Stadium.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, they wound up on the wrong end of a 1-0 final score, as a DePaul team that hasn't won more than five games in a season since 2004 handed them their first loss of the season.
"We've changed from being underdogs to having a target on our back," senior forward Michelle Collins said. "All around, we've learned winning is hard, and we can't take that for granted."
Sunday's 1-0 defeat marked the first time the Tigers had been shutout at home during the regular season since Oct. 26, 2007, when they fell 1-0 in overtime to Iowa State.
"We got outworked," senior defender Crystal Wagner said. "It's something we've got to learn from."
Both the Tigers and the Blue Demons came into Sunday's game without a loss. The Tigers were ranked as high as 11th in various polls around the country, but they will most likely drop after their first loss of the 2009 campaign. The team knew Sunday's loss was an example of the type of play they can expect all season long.
DePaul scored the game's only goal with just less than 25 minutes left in the first half as senior forward Shannon Williams received a pass from teammate Morgan Celaya with just Missouri senior goalkeeper Tasha Dittamore to beat.
She kicked the ball by Dittamore for the first and only goal of the afternoon. Several Tigers were calling for an offside violation on the play, but no whistle was blown.
"DePaul was more aggressive than us today," coach Bryan Blitz said. "They were more hungry. We got out-competed on our home field. There's a great lesson for us today, and it's that winning is hard."
The two teams played an extremely physical game, with 32 fouls between the Tigers and Blue Demons. Three yellow cards were issued in the second half, the latter two coming within 19 seconds of one another. Junior midfielder Tara Strickland and junior defender Janina Locascio received yellow cards for DePaul, and Missouri senior midfielder Meghan Pfeiffer was also given one.
"There's no reason we should never out-foul the other team," Dittamore said. "We weren't the team we usually are today."
Several Tigers had to be substituted out due to injury. Senior midfielder Bree Thornton was removed from the game in the first half after colliding with a teammate, and she was carted to the locker room right before halftime.
Blitz confirmed Thornton might have a broken nose.
Missouri had chances to score. The Tigers took five shots on goal and recorded more shots than the Blue Demons, 16-14. Senior forward Kristin Andrighetto took seven shots herself.
The best opportunity for the Tigers came in the second half, off a free kick. Andrighetto set up for the kick, looking like she would tap it to senior midfielder Michelle Makasini for a long range attempt at a goal, but instead she dumped it in to Collins, who's close up shot was blocked by a DePaul defender.
Missouri's next game is Friday at Walton Stadium, where they will take on the Rhode Island Rams.
