Missouri soccer falls to Alabama in final minutes
By: Emma Rhyner, KCOU Sports
After a joyous Senior Day celebration, the Missouri Tigers women’s soccer team lost their smiles when Alabama scored the only goal of the game in the 84th minute to win Sunday at Walton Stadium.
Mizzou’s three seniors, goalkeeper McKenzie Sauerwein, midfielder Kaysie Clark, and midfielder/forward Taylor Grant were celebrated for their careers at Mizzou. Two equipment managers were also recognized before kick-off.
Going into the game, Alabama was undefeated on the road and Missouri was undefeated at home. Play was back and forth for almost the entire match with Sauerwein having a season high of seven saves at the net. However, the eighth save could not come when Alabama senior Laura Lee Smith scored on her seventh shot of the day with six minutes remaining in the match to secure the win for the Crimson Tide.
Smith, along with fellow senior Theresa Diederich, was a key player for Alabama while the freshman helped to lead Missouri. Savannah Trujillo, Kaitlyn Clark, and Jessica Johnson all took shots, but were unable to come up with the point.
Missouri falls to 10-4-2 on the year, and 5-3-0 in SEC play. The Tigers’ head on the road for their games this week with a match at Ole Miss Friday at 7 p.m. and another at Tennessee on Sunday at 4 p.m. The game against Tennessee will be televised on ESPNU.