Mizzou soccer can taste its first SEC Tournament berth since 2020

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Mizzou soccer team is getting set for its final push of the season, as the Tigers look to qualify for their first SEC Tournament since 2020.

Despite a tough start to conference play this year, head coach Stefanie Golan and company have begun figuring some things out in the past couple weeks and have put themselves into a position to play into the league tournament.

In order to make the 12-team field, Mizzou must climb into the Top-12 of the Southeastern Conference. With a couple of games against Texas A&M and LSU left on the schedule, the Tigers will need to turn their remaining fixtures into wins to jump above teams hovering near that No. 11 and No. 12 spot in the conference.

As of now, Golan and her squad sit in 14th place in the SEC, with four total points in conference play.

"It's what we set out to accomplish at the beginning of the season," Golan said. "So, the fact that it's still there and still in front of us is awesome. You know, we've had some good performances as of late, so it's very much there for the taking. We just have to show up and we have to execute."

You can watch the full press conference with Golan in the video player below.

Those good performances that Golan mentioned have really come ever since Oct. 2, when Mizzou ended a game against Arkansas in a 1-1 tie. Ever since then, the team has shown marked improvement. The Tigers held No. 3 Vanderbilt, who boasts one of the nation's top offenses, to just one goal on three shots on Oct. 9. Then, MU followed that performance up with its largest conference road win since 2016, beating Ole Miss 3-0 in Oxford.

Mizzou couldn't convert that momentum into a win in their road finale against Georgia on Sunday, falling 2-0 in Athens, however, Coach Golan emphasized there's a lot of positives to take from that stretch.

"We've changed game plans from from game to game a little bit. Like, we've adjusted our shape and they have responded really well to that and have bought into the things that we are seeing that can set them up to be successful. So, you know, I think that they're in a place where we've scored goals, we've been able to stay toe to toe with some really, really top teams. You know, two games left, two opportunities to put ourselves where we want to be at the end of it. And I think they're hungry," she said.

Now, the focus shifts to a Texas A&M team that has put up just one point in SEC play, this season, holding a 0-7-1 mark in league play. Needless to say, getting a win and gaining three points would be massive for a Tiger team that's on the cusp of making Coach Golan's first SEC Tournament in her Tiger tenure.

True freshman midfielder Lana Adams said finding success in these final two regular-season games will just come down to sticking to their new-found identity.

"I think we just we always do," she said. "We finish, we win tackles, we do all the small things and I think if we do all the small things, then the game will come together...[At Ole Miss], we were finishing chances. That's kind of been been some things this year is can we finish, can we put the ball in the back of the net? We know we can defend well, but can we finish? Yes. So, finishing the ball just those last little clicks, just putting the ball in the back of the net."

You can watch the full press conference with Adams in the video player below.

In their debut season, Adams and fellow true freshman Rylie Morse have unlocked something different for the Mizzou offense. Adams is currently leading the team in goals, while Morse is pacing the Tigers in assists.

Adams was asked about what's led to that success, so early on, on Wednesday.

"It's been it's been a lot. Freshman year is crazy sometimes, but the team around me and the coach is like, the support is just crazy. That's kind of how I've been able to develop just this year. It's awesome. Just really the people around me is what's what helped me out there. I mean, I can't score my goals, can't get assists without the people around you or the coaching staff putting you in and giving you the game plan. So, it's really from the teammates and the coaches," she said.

Even though the team already knows the importance of the final two games on this schedule, Golan said they continue to preach the importance of it. She said they're going to approach this one by staying in the moment and trying not to over hype it.

Although there's still work to be done to see if the Tigers can earn an SEC Tournament berth, Golan said its undeniable what it would mean for the progress of this program.

"I think it's always the goal," Golan said. "It's always the goal for everybody in the SEC. They do such a great job of making that event very special and so it's something that everybody is aspiring to all the time. You know, it's been a while for, for this program. So, you know, it's something that, you know, we we can taste it and we want to eat it. So let's go."

Up next - Mizzou will return home for the first time since the beginning of the month to host Texas A&M. Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. at Audrey J. Walton Stadium.