Tigers clinch spot in Big 12 tournament
The Tigers earned two victories this weekend to improve their record to 5-4 in conference play.
Published Oct. 26, 2010
In two weeks, the Missouri women’s soccer team will play in the Big 12 tournament.
The Tigers won two games this weekend to clinch a spot in the tournament in San Antonio. Missouri currently sits in fifth place with a 5-4 record in conference play.
On Friday, the Tigers became the first team to beat Baylor in Waco this season. Senior forward Alysha Bonnick broke a scoreless game with a goal in the 78th minute. Bonnick now has nine goals on the season.
Midfielder Danielle Nottingham sealed the 2-0 victory with a goal in the 85th minute. It was Nottingham’s first career regular season goal as a Tiger; she scored two in a preseason exhibition game against Illinois.
The freshman didn’t stop there. Nottingham scored in the sixth minute Sunday to give the Tigers the lead in Lubbock against Texas Tech, and again in the 48th minute to break a 2-2 tie. Missouri went on to win 5-2.
The Tigers will play their final game of the regular season Friday at Iowa State. The Cyclones have a 2-7 record in conference.
The Big 12 Championship tournament will be held in San Antonio the following week. The top eight teams in the conference will be there to play a single-elimination tournament that spans five days. Quarterfinal games will be played Nov. 3, with the championship game to be played Nov. 7. The tournament champion earns an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.
It is difficult to predict who the Tigers first opponent will be because there are five teams separated by just two games between third-place Nebraska and eighth-place Baylor. But regardless of how the standings end up Friday, Missouri would likely have to face either No. 5 Oklahoma State or No. 7 Texas A&M in the semifinals if they can win their quarterfinal game. In all likelihood, the Tigers would face the other in the championship game if they get there.
Missouri lost to both teams by two in Columbia this season. Oklahoma State topped the Tigers 3-1 on Oct. 1, while Texas A&M spoiled Missouri’s final home game 4-2 on Oct. 17. Both games were tied at halftime.
Texas A&M will be the top seed in the tournament following its win over the Cowboys on Sunday, meaning that Missouri would be in line to play the Aggies if the Tigers are the four or five seed. If the Tigers are the third or sixth seed, they would be in line to play the Cowboys with a quarterfinal win.
The toughest scenario for the Tigers would be if they end up with the seven seed, where they would have to face Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals. The Tigers cannot be the eight seed because they are ahead of Baylor by two games.
It is no easy task to beat either team, but Oklahoma State is more likely than Texas A&M to struggle in San Antonio. The Cowboys have lost three games away from home this season, including two to Big 12 opponents. The Aggies have lost just one road game, and that was an out-of-conference game against No. 3 North Carolina.