Missouri soccer fell to No. 22 Georgia 2-1 after allowing two early goals on Sunday, suffering their first home loss.
Georgia started the attack early, gaining a breakaway opportunity and forcing a yellow card out of redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Bella Hollenbach in the box. Midfielder Nicole Vernis scored on the ensuing penalty kick, putting the Bulldogs up 1-0 in the 8th minute.
The Bulldogs continued to push the pace, with another goal 12 minutes later from Summer Denigan off the rebound after an initial save from Hollenbach. Despite allowing two goals, Hollenbach racked up four saves in a losing effort.
Missouri’s defense shored up after the first 20 minutes, only allowing three shots in the second half, holding the Bulldogs at two goals.
Missouri cracked the scoreboard late in the first half, as sophomore forward Kylee Simmons found the back of the net yet again. Simmons now has scored in five consecutive matches, bringing her total for the season up to nine goals.
The physicality was ramped up in the first half, with three total yellow cards, two going against the Tigers. Missouri assistant head coach Andy Stoots was given a red card and ejected after the first goal for arguing with the officials.
The Tigers applied plenty of pressure in the second half, with six shots and two corner kicks. However, Georgia goalkeeper Jordan Brown fended off each opportunity with a total of six saves to hold the one goal lead.
This marks the first time Missouri has lost consecutive matches this season, bringing their record to 5-3-2 overall and 1-2 in SEC play. The Tigers will be back in action at home Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. against rival No. 11 Arkansas.