Michelle Collins and Candace Ruff each scored a goal in the first half to give Missouri a first-round victory in the NCAA women’s soccer tournament to advance to the regional championship game Sunday against Illinois with a 2-0 win over Evansville.
Evansville’s goalkeeper Theresa Bagby had nine saves on the night but her defensive effort wouldn’t be enough. The Missouri defenders held the Aces to just one shot-on-goal all night and Tasha Dittamores’s one save would be all the Tigers needed. In their shutout of Evansville Mizzou fired 28 shots on the night, 16 of them in the first period.
The Tigers will face the University of Illinois who earned their spot in the title game by defeating Memphis, 1-0, in double overtime earlier Friday evening. Sunday’s match will begin at 1:00 p.m. CST in Walton Stadium.