Missouri opened its 2026 campaign with a scoreless draw at Western Kentucky on Thursday, outshooting the Hilltoppers 11-8 but unable to solve WKU goalkeeper Mia Riddick, who made six saves to preserve the shutout.
The Tigers dominated the opening half, outshooting Western Kentucky 7-2, but couldn’t turn that pressure into goals. Missouri’s best look of the half came in its final minute, when sophomore transfer Allyssa Turner won the ball in the defensive third and broke through Western Kentucky’s back line to spark the attack. The buildup ended with a shot from sophomore Landis Canada that bounced around the box before being blocked by a Hilltoppers defender inside the six-yard box.
44' | Knocking on the door 👀
🔗 https://t.co/NVM3fROalK#MIZ 🐯 pic.twitter.com/TVlweApymt
Missouri came out flat to start the second half, getting outshot by Western Kentucky over the first 15 minutes out of the break. The Tigers steadied from there, leaning on defenders Morgan Meador and Mia Yang — both of whom played over 80 minutes — to hold the deadlock. Missouri still finished with the shot advantage for the match, a sign the Tigers kept generating chances even as the game got stretched.
Senior forward Brianna Buels led much of Missouri’s second-half attack from the right flank. She went down following contact with a Western Kentucky defender and was checked for injury in the 75th minute, returned briefly, then was subbed out shortly after.
The final minutes turned frantic as both teams pushed for a winner, but neither found one. Missouri goalkeeper Kate Phillips made three saves of her own to keep the clean sheet on the other end. Phillips returned to the starting lineup after falling out of favor in the last few matches of last season.
Four newcomers saw the field in the season opener. Freshman forward Audrey Gilbert started and led the Tigers with two shots in 23 minutes before coming off, while freshman midfielder Riley Morse played the full first half in the Tigers’ midfield. Freshman Petra Bandula entered in the 23rd minute, and Turner made her Missouri debut off the bench after transferring in from Purdue.
This completes the first leg of Missouri’s two-game road trip through the Bluegrass State, as the Tigers travel to Murray State on Sunday, August 16th. Missouri’s home opener follows four days later, when the Tigers host Saint Louis University to open play at a newly renovated Audrey J. Walton Stadium.
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