While the preseason is quite young, there’s plenty to be learned from the 90 minutes of action from Audrey J. Walton Stadium.
After the first spring game, Missouri soccer has learned plenty about the team. Despite losing 1-0 to Central Missouri, very little of the game had to do with the Jennies. Here’s what we’ve learned from the Tigers from the game on March 16.
Building together ️ pic.twitter.com/QIoGkNlrZ9
— Mizzou Soccer (@MizzouSoccer) March 20, 2024
New Formation, New Problems
For the first time, coach Stefanie Golan rolled out a 3-5-2 formation for Missouri. This new formation allowed the Tigers to control the majority of the offense. Missouri outshot their opponents 11-2 throughout the game.
One struggle for Missouri came with activating their midfielders into the offensive flow. The two striker spots were primarily held by Kylee Simmons and Brianna Buels, who combined for 14 goals during the 2023 fall season. Simmons was held quiet during the match. Buels took a majority of the shots, having a special connection with Shania Spriggs.
However, most of these shots resulted in soft dribblers on net.
“Leading up to the game we did a bunch of finishing during training,” Golan said. “[This training] didn’t translate…we have to dig down and compete harder.”
Memorable Midfielders
While the midfielders were inefficient from a shooting side, there were several players who made eye-catching plays for Missouri.
One player who hadn’t missed a beat from the fall season was Leah Selm. The junior has started 34 games over the last two years, serving as a mainstay in the Tigers lineup.
During the first spring game, Selm was electric as a distributor. The midfielder controlled all three levels, manipulating the Central Missouri defenders at her will.
A Tiger’s Heart
: @LeahSelm#ATigersHeart | @MizzouSoccer pic.twitter.com/hxlZDqgqV9
— Mizzou Athletics (@MizzouAthletics) October 17, 2023
Another midfielder making some noise came from Elena Zuchowski. After starting 10 games during her freshman year, Zuchowski was reduced to a bench role during her sophomore campaign.
With the senior departures, Zuchowski will be taking a larger role both in the spring and the fall. In the spring scrimmage against Central Missouri, Zuchowski was a standout with her passing. The sophomore was able to manipulate the Jennie defenders, reaching the Tiger forwards with extreme precision.
As key members of the five midfielder system, Selm and Zuchowski showed glimpses of brilliance.
What to do in net
There were plenty of questions in net, as starting goaltender Bella Hollenbach was unavailable for the game. With Hollenbach out, the time was split between the other two goaltenders on the roster: freshman Kate Phillips and sophomore transfer Kassidy Roshong.
Phillips started four games in the fall, as Hollenbach was recovering from an injury to start the season. In those four games, the freshman allowed eight goals while making 11 saves, finishing with a record of 2-1-1.
During the game against Central Missouri, Phillips did not face a single shot on net. The small same size was quite irrelevant, as Phillips is a proven commodity for the Tigers. This game served more so as an opportunity for Roshong.
Roshong transferred from West Virginia, seeing the field for only 10 minutes of action during her two seasons.
Family addition pic.twitter.com/xR1mlWdBRS
— Mizzou Soccer (@MizzouSoccer) March 14, 2024
In her debut in a Missouri uniform, Roshong made one save while allowing the only goal of the contest. There was very little the keeper could do, as the Jennies were able to fire in a beautiful shot after a clean look in the box.
While it’s nice to see what the future may look like in net, Hollenbach is still the surefire answer moving into next season.
Hopefully Hollenbach will be healthy during Missouri’s next spring scrimmage, the first game of the Spring Cup,
The Tigers will travel to Saint Louis to take on the Billikens on Thursday, April 4.
Mark your calendars ️
2024 Spring Cup schedule is here‼️ pic.twitter.com/QkjxXxhbhK
— Spring Cup (@Spring__Cup) January 30, 2024