Mizzou dropped its home opener 1-0 to in-state rival Saint Louis University, unable to break through a stingy Billikens defense despite a record crowd of 2,324 and a seven-save performance from senior keeper Kate Phillips.
Walton Stadium was packed with students, who overflowed out of the stands and into the surrounding areas of the stadium, to cause a record attendance, crushing the previous record of 1,926. This was the first game of the athletic calendar, and thus the first chance for Mizzou students to earn
points towards football tickets in the new ticketing model — which serves as reasoning for the elevated environment.
“This is what we wanted to be all the time,” Golan said. “You want it to be when teams come and play here. You want them to feel like they’re playing more than just the team that’s on the field. And I thought we had that today.”
The Tigers fed off this energy early, for better or for worse. The Missouri attack was defined by quick flashes of pace that flourished under the excitement of the circumstances but failed to sustain much offensive pressure and did not produce a single shot within the first 70 minutes.
“We wanted to switch the point of attack, and we didn’t do that,” Golan said. “We thought we could really get at them in the wide space, and we didn’t set that up as much as we needed to, so we just got to grow through that”
The seal finally broke for the Billikens from the penalty spot; a handball from junior forward Mia Deveroux gave reason for the official to point to the spot. Senior midfielder Jennette Fieldsend converted from 12 yards to give Saint Louis a narrow one-goal lead, and suck most of the energy from Walton Stadium. The Tigers could not find much rhythm following the finish, with the only goal-scoring opportunity coming from a disallowed finish.
From open play, Phillips continued to impress. Finishing the half with five saves, including an acrobatic one-handed denial of a curling 18-yard shot from the Billikens, which kept the Tigers afloat in a game that was slipping from their control, being outshot seven to zero in the first half.
Phillips returned between the posts after sitting out last game, the battle for the starting keeper postion between her and Riley Wilkerson is very alive three games into the season.
“It’s neck and neck. They both bring great qualities to the table, and neither one has separated themselves, so they’re both going to play until that happens,” Golan said. “You love when you have that kind of competition because it forces them to be great every single day at training”
Senior midfielder Olivia Chianelli emerged as a bright spot for the Tigers, providing defensive support in the center of the pitch. Her ability to win the ball and disrupt the Billikens was paramount in limiting their effectiveness, and the frequency with which she broke lines provided many of the few threatening chances from the home team.
The second half showed a continued decline in the inspiration of the Tigers, as a record number of fans began to file out of the stadium. Mizzou struggled not only to produce shots, but to get into the defensive third in any capacity.
Mizzou finally produced its first shot after 70 minutes of game time; senior forward Brianna Buels — who has emerged as a focal point of the offense during the opening stretch of this season — mustered a half-hearted effort from outside the box, which was calmly collected by the Saint Louis keeper.
Missouri’s best chance of the game came in the 88th minute, when sophomore Aly Bryant put a shot on goal from outside the box, forcing a reaching save from the Billikens, which was enough to keep the clean sheet. While this was the best shot from the Tigers, it still did little to test the Saint Louis defense.
“We know that we didn’t execute,” Golan said. “We just got to get back in training and continue to hammer it until we do it consistently.
Mizzou goes back on the road to face off against another in-state opponent, this time down in Springfield against Missouri State. The Tigers got the better of them last time out, beating the Bears 2-0.
