The Missouri Tigers women’s soccer team hosted the No. 11 Arkansas Razorbacks this afternoon at Audrey J Walton Stadium.
It was Senior Day at today’s game as the team honored its five seniors before the game. Hailey Chambliss, Bella Carillo, Keegan Good, Jessica Larson and Elena Zuchowski were all celebrated before the game. The group have combined for over 200 appearances for the Tigers in their time at Mizzou.
Heading into today’s matchup the Tigers were on a seven game losing streak, after losing 2-1 to Texas A&M last week. Their lone goal at A&M came from a penalty kick by Olivia Chianelli, and it was the first goal in 34 days for the team. The Tigers sat in 14th place in conference play with a 1-7 record, whereas Arkansas sat in first place with a 6-1-1 record. Arkansas came into the game off of a 3-1 win against Alabama at home.
The Razorbacks have won the last five meetings between these two rivals, Arkansas also leads the all-time series 9-3. Arkansas dominated their matchup versus Mizzou last year, winning 8-2, managing 16 shots on goal and 23 shots total. It was also a physical game between the two teams, with 26 total fouls called.
With the Tigers trying to end their season on a high note in their final home game of the season, and the Razorbacks trying to finish off their regular season strong, it looked to be an interesting matchup between the two rivals.
The game started slow as both teams struggled to keep possession in the first half. Both teams fought for control of the midfield, trying to capitalize off of their opponents mistakes. The first sign of offense came in the 14th minute, as Arkansas’ Natalie Wagner took a shot on goal off a free kick, which was easily dealt with by Riley Wilkerson, who was making her first start in goal for the Tigers.
It was a physical game from both teams and a defensive contest, as both teams failed to generate much offense. Mizzou ended the half leading Arkansas in shots 4-2, but failed to register a single on target. The half ended with both teams tied scoreless at 0-0.
The second half was a different story, as both teams came out with wind in their sails. Arkansas attacked early, earning two corners in quick succession, but failing to convert either one of them. Mizzou tried to capitalize on the counterattack but failed to, after Arkansas’ Dejionee Anderson committed a hard challenge earning herself a yellow card, but stopping the Mizzou attack. With both teams becoming even more aggressive and seemingly finding their strides offensively, the question was who could capitalize first.
Arkansas kept the pressure on, winning corner after corner and notching shot after shot, but Mizzou’s defense held strong. The Razorbacks earned eight corners in the second half and 11 shots, with three on target. The second half was more physical than the first, with Mizzou’s Emily Derucki and Arkansas’ Makenzie Malham and Bella Field being shown yellow cards in the half. The game ended with a chaotic sequence as both teams tried their hardest to beat the clock, trying to capitalize on late chances. However, both came up short as the game ended in a scoreless tie 0-0.
The Tigers fall to 1-7-1 in conference play, as they head to Auburn for their final game of the season. This was the first time the Tigers have tied a ranked opponent since 2023. After the game head coach Stephanie Golan commented on the team’s impressive result, “We needed to compete, and we competed for 90 minutes. Overall, the women competed really hard and earned a shutout tie against a really good team.”
