Oklahoma’s Andie Wolfe (19) holds Missouri midfielder Leah Selm (12) during a game on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, at Walton Stadium. | (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)
Tigers held an early lead but fell short 3-1 after a tough final 45
After a strong road start for Mizzou soccer, it all came crashing down as Texas flexed its offensive muscles in a 3-1 win. The Longhorns controlled the second half with a 3-0 advantage in goals and a 7-3 lead in shots.
Mizzou started the upset bid early, shocking the Longhorns with an early goal. Bri Buels dribbled towards the corner, feeding it back into the box, looking for a teammate. Her cross was tracked by a Texas player who attempted to clear the attack with a header. But the ball trickled straight to Missouri’s Keegan Good, who curved a shot through the defensive wall and found its way to the back of the net.
An absolute rocket pic.twitter.com/uYyR9OWi7T
— Mizzou Soccer (@MizzouSoccer) October 25, 2024
Texas put up a great chance in the 28th minute, when Jilly Shimkin rocketed a shot top-shelf. Kate Phillips made the save, and the ball rebounded directly to defender Mia Yang, who appeared to tip the ball with her hand. The entire Texas sideline, was begging for a handball, and the play went to video review.
Luckily for the Tigers, after a lengthy review there was no penalty called as Texas was not gifted the prime scoring opportunity. While no official explanation was given, I would expect that it was determined the ball hit her hand but that no advantage was reached since there were no opposing players in sight.
The Tigers controlled the pace in the first half, leading the game in shots on goal despite being outshot by a trigger-happy Longhorns team. Mizzou committed less fouls, as Texas was routinely frustrated by Mizzou’s dribbling.
But everything began to crumble at the start of the second half. Texas sharpshooter Lexi Missimo found paydirt less than two minutes in, catching Phillips out of position and lobbing a shot across the line. It’s almost impossible to keep Missimo from scoring, as she leads the SEC with 11 goals this year and the entirety of D1 with 55 career goals.
The Longhorns continued to press, breaking their tie for their first lead of the game in the 65th minute. Shimkin redeemed herself with the game-winner, running an apparent “pick play” with a teammate to trip up the Tiger defenders, opening a window to slide it right by Phillips.
.@jillyshimkin finds the back of the net on senior night #HookEm | #RunWithTexas pic.twitter.com/aDjVsorNyb
— Texas Soccer (@TexasSoccer) October 25, 2024
The Longhorns added insult to injury as Amalia Villareal subbed in during the 85th minute and IMMEDIATELY scored on a long pass from goalkeeper Mia Justus, who now has assists in back-to-back games. It was a tough read for Phillips, as it was deflected and ramped up the arm of Mizzou defender Morgan Meador.
Mizzou’s offense struggled to respond at all in the second half, limited to only three shots with only one coming on net. Mallory McGuire pushed one final chance on net in the final five minutes that was harmlessly grabbed by Justus.
Despite the loss, Mizzou doesn’t move in the SEC with 10 points. Their next opponent is LSU, who is currently 13th and the final team OUT of the SEC Tournament with 8 points.
Mizzou will need to pick up at least a tie against the other Tigers to secure a spot to the dance in Pensacola. The two will tango at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27 in Columbia at Audrey J.
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