Mizzou suffers shutout loss to No. 5 Tennessee

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Mizzou Soccer battled against No. 5 Tennessee but fell short of its second-ever top-five win.

The Tigers (4-4-1) were held scoreless by the Volunteers (7-1-1) on Thursday evening, resulting in a 2-0 loss at Audrey J. Walton Stadium.

MU's last win over a top-five opponent was nearly two decades ago. In Sept. 2007, the Tigers defeated No. 3 Texas A&M in double overtime to earn its first and only victory over a top-five challenger in program history.

Although head coach Stefanie Golan's defense disrupted Tennessee's offensive rhythm, the Tigers were unable to string together enough accurate shots. Mizzou registered just three shots on goal while the Volunteers finished with nine.

The Volunteers, who are averaging nearly three goals per game, did not connect with the back of the net for the first 44 minutes of action. However, the middle-third of the contest proved costly for the Tigers. Despite back-to-back saves by Kate Phillips in the same sequence, Kate Runyon scored on Tennessee's third shot attempt to give her team a 1-0 lead at the break. Then, Runyon buried her second goal in the 56th minute to supply the Volunteers with a two-score lead for the remainder of the match.

Phillips finished 7-for-9 in save opportunities, bringing her overall save percentage to .735 through the first nine games of the season.

Up next - MU will hit the road for a brief trip to Bell Soccer Complex in Lexington. The Tigers will face the Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday, Sept. 21 at 12 p.m.