As the first varsity sport to commence play this fall, Mizzou's soccer season is almost upon us. I thought I'd do a quick preview for those interested and try to update periodically throughout the season:
This will be head coach, Stefanie Golan's 3rd season at the helm of the program. She went 7-10 (3-7) her 1st season and 5-8-4 (2-5-3) her 2nd season for a 12-18-4 record at Mizzou. The improvements were incremental and I think if the program doesn't show improvement this year, her seat could be getting warm. I don't think she'll be fired but her contract is up at the conclusion of the 2025 season. Since her hire, she's done everything possible to downplay expectations and emphasizes "progress" and "building the program" both of which are genuine and admirable goals. However, in the age of the transfer portal, few have the patience for 5+ year rebuilds. And when you see the quick turn-arounds accomplished at a program like Michigan State which relied heavily on transfers to win the Big 10 in their coach's 2nd year and has a similar modest soccer tradition, I don't think this impatience is unwarranted.
This will likely be her best team but they have a tough schedule so whether their record will reflect that is a question. They play some tough non conference road games and have yet to show the ability to win on the road. The conference schedule also lines up to give them the majority of their tough games at home and easier on the road. Here's the schedule:
Of note, Mizzou soccer is the first event in the Zou to the Lou series and will play Mo St in St Louis on Sept 10
Here are the departures/additions in the offseason:
Departures/Graduates: 8 players walked in May. Of those: Oduyoye (D) and Easley (F) were starters with Lyman (D/M), Johnson (F) getting minutes, but none were stars. Either none were offered or none chose to accept a 5th year (Covid) of eligibility.
Departures/Transfers: There were 3 transfers out. Rising junior, Kylie Dobbs (F), transferred to Loyola Marymount. She was the teams leading scorer last year with 4 goals. However, she could never get the necessary score on the fitness test to start. Hannah Boughton chose to transfer closer to home after her 1st season and will be continuing her career at Baylor. This one hurts a little as she got the 2nd most minutes of the freshman and showed promise. The other transfer was another freshman, Sophia Skoubis, who didn't see the field at all even in the spring so I think the writing was on the wall. She transferred to Coastal Carolina. Mia Mosby, another freshman who didn't see the field, decided to just be a student.
Arrivals/Freshman: Coach Golan signed a freshman class of 10. This is larger than in the past but I think it's becoming more typical. Four of the players were early enrollees. The highest ranked were Morgan Meador (D) from St Louis, Bri Buels (F) from Indianapolis, and Shania Spriggs (D/M) from Loganville, GA. I believe these players were 4 star but I don't currently have a subscription to Top Drawer so that's just my recollection.
mutigers.com
Arrivals/Transfers: The team added 3 incoming transfers. Mallory McGuire, a sophomore midfielder, joined the team for the 2nd semester after playing her 1st season at Rutgers. Two grad transfers arrived this summer, Nicole Icen (F) from Mercer where she was SoCon POY, All-conference, and All-Freshman during her time there, and Alycia Morin (F) from Boston College.
This is getting long, so in Part II, I will concentrate on last year's accomplishments and reasons for optimism for the upcoming season.
This will be head coach, Stefanie Golan's 3rd season at the helm of the program. She went 7-10 (3-7) her 1st season and 5-8-4 (2-5-3) her 2nd season for a 12-18-4 record at Mizzou. The improvements were incremental and I think if the program doesn't show improvement this year, her seat could be getting warm. I don't think she'll be fired but her contract is up at the conclusion of the 2025 season. Since her hire, she's done everything possible to downplay expectations and emphasizes "progress" and "building the program" both of which are genuine and admirable goals. However, in the age of the transfer portal, few have the patience for 5+ year rebuilds. And when you see the quick turn-arounds accomplished at a program like Michigan State which relied heavily on transfers to win the Big 10 in their coach's 2nd year and has a similar modest soccer tradition, I don't think this impatience is unwarranted.
This will likely be her best team but they have a tough schedule so whether their record will reflect that is a question. They play some tough non conference road games and have yet to show the ability to win on the road. The conference schedule also lines up to give them the majority of their tough games at home and easier on the road. Here's the schedule:
Of note, Mizzou soccer is the first event in the Zou to the Lou series and will play Mo St in St Louis on Sept 10
Here are the departures/additions in the offseason:
Departures/Graduates: 8 players walked in May. Of those: Oduyoye (D) and Easley (F) were starters with Lyman (D/M), Johnson (F) getting minutes, but none were stars. Either none were offered or none chose to accept a 5th year (Covid) of eligibility.
Departures/Transfers: There were 3 transfers out. Rising junior, Kylie Dobbs (F), transferred to Loyola Marymount. She was the teams leading scorer last year with 4 goals. However, she could never get the necessary score on the fitness test to start. Hannah Boughton chose to transfer closer to home after her 1st season and will be continuing her career at Baylor. This one hurts a little as she got the 2nd most minutes of the freshman and showed promise. The other transfer was another freshman, Sophia Skoubis, who didn't see the field at all even in the spring so I think the writing was on the wall. She transferred to Coastal Carolina. Mia Mosby, another freshman who didn't see the field, decided to just be a student.
Arrivals/Freshman: Coach Golan signed a freshman class of 10. This is larger than in the past but I think it's becoming more typical. Four of the players were early enrollees. The highest ranked were Morgan Meador (D) from St Louis, Bri Buels (F) from Indianapolis, and Shania Spriggs (D/M) from Loganville, GA. I believe these players were 4 star but I don't currently have a subscription to Top Drawer so that's just my recollection.
Soccer Adds 10 on National Signing Day - University of Missouri Athletics
University of Missouri soccer Head Coach Stefanie Golan announces the signing of 10 newcomers to the team. The incoming freshmen hail from six different states,
mutigers.com
Arrivals/Transfers: The team added 3 incoming transfers. Mallory McGuire, a sophomore midfielder, joined the team for the 2nd semester after playing her 1st season at Rutgers. Two grad transfers arrived this summer, Nicole Icen (F) from Mercer where she was SoCon POY, All-conference, and All-Freshman during her time there, and Alycia Morin (F) from Boston College.
This is getting long, so in Part II, I will concentrate on last year's accomplishments and reasons for optimism for the upcoming season.
