By Joshua Reneau
Missouri soccer grinded out a 1-0 win against the rival Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday.
Audrey J. Walton Stadium, the venue for the event, echoed with all the cheers, jeers, and boos that one might expect from a rivalry as heated as this one, colloquially known as “The Border War.”
While the two squads appeared evenly matched throughout the game, Missouri was able to steal the lead off of an own goal in the 64th minute.
The goal came off of a seemingly harmless free kick from the wing by Julissa Cisneros. What looked like a misplaced cross into the box, ended up off the head of a Kansas defender and into the back of the net.
With 11 shots on the night, Missouri was still unable to seriously challenge the Kansas keeper with only three shots finding their way on target. Of particular note was the Tigers’ tendency toward long shots that ended up over the top of the net.
Of their 11 shots, six came from long distance efforts that ended up well over the desired target.
Despite the lackluster offensive efforts, Missouri’s defense performed very well, allowing just five shots on goal. The Missouri goalkeeper, Sophomore Isabella Alessio, logged her second shutout of the season by way of her five saves.
Missouri’s Eryka Mcintyre leveraged two shots from distance during the game, giving fans an all-too-familiar sight. Throughout the season, the sophomore defensive midfielder has found ways to generate offense from an unorthodox position.
On the back wing, Blythe Beldner had quite the game, consistently winning contested matchups and beating opponents to the ball almost every time.
With the win over Kansas, Missouri’s season record winds up at 6-5-3.
The Tigers will look to build on this next season as they only see to lose four players to eligibility.
Edited by Emma Moloney